Terricolous Lichens in the Glacier Forefield of the Pasterze (Eastern Alps, Carinthia, Austria)

PubMed Central

Bilovitz, Peter O.; Wallner, Anja; Tutzer, Veronika; Nascimbene, Juri; Mayrhofer, Helmut

2016-01-01

Summary The investigation of lichens on soil, plant debris and terricolous mosses in the glacier forefield of the Pasterze yielded 35 lichen species. Placidiopsis oreades Breuss (Verrucariales) is new to Austria. Three sampling sites were established at increasing distance from the glacier, in order to compare species diversity, abundance and composition within the forefield and with four other glacier forefields of the Eastern Alps. PMID:26877565

Adriatic indentation of the Eastern Alps - nature vs. analogue models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favaro, S.; Scharf, A.; Schuster, R.; Handy, M. R.

2013-12-01

The Eastern Alps underwent late Oligocene-Miocene indentation by the Adriatic microplate, followed by rapid Miocene exhumation in the Tauern Window and orogen-parallel escape. Analogue models of indentation in the Eastern Alps indicate that exhumation of orogenic crust in front of the Adriatic indenter was coeval, with faults and post-nappe folds forming an asymmetrical conjugate pattern in front of the indenting block (Ratschbacher et al 1991, Rosenberg et al 2007). The amount and rate of exhumation is greatest at this location, but decrease laterally towards an unconfined boundary of the models that represents the retreating Carpathian subduction orogen. In nature, however, isotopic age patterns of deeply buried and exhumed basements rocks in the Tauern Window of the Eastern Alps indicate that cooling and possibly also exhumation were diachronous along strike of the orogen. In the westernmost Tauern Window, previous thermal modeling of fission-track ages (Fügenschuh et al 1997) revealed that rapid exhumation (≥ 1mm/a) lasted from 20-13 Ma and appears to have been triggered by sinistral transpression along the Guidicarie Belt beginning in Late Oligocene time. Rapid cooling (≥25°C/Ma) from 550 to 270°C lasted from 18-12 Ma (von Blanckenburg et al 1989; Fügenschuh et al 1997). In the easternmost part, however, rapid cooling from a similar peak temperature lasted from 23-20 Ma and ended no later than 17 Ma. Thus, rapid exhumation cannot have begun later than 23-21 Ma. Cooling patterns in the eastern central part of the Tauern Window are more complex and reflect the combined effects of doming and extensional exhumation. New Rb-Sr mica ages in post-nappe basement domes generally decrease from NW (muscovite: 26 Ma; biotite: 22 Ma) to SE (muscovite: 22 Ma; biotite: 18 Ma). We interpret these trends to show that doming began in the south-central part of the Tauern Window and then migrated to the SE while the entire basement nappe pile underwent orogen-parallel stretching. Tectonic thinning and excision of nappe units is greatest in the footwalls of low-angle normal faults at either end of the Tauern Window, indicating that the contribution of tectonic unroofing to the total amount of denudation increased going from the center to the ends of the Tauern Window. Although the map pattern of folding, faulting and exhumation looks similar in nature as in analogue models of Adriatic indentation, the actual timing of deformation in front of the indenter is not coeval. We attribute this discrepancy to one or a combination of two factors: (1) counterclockwise N-ward subduction of Adriatic lithosphere below the Tauern Window such that indentation migrated from E to W; (2) the irregular geometry of the leading edge of the indenter, with more rigid crustal units in the east leading to earlier strain localization than in the west.

Analysis of topography and relief as a function of the tectonic - geomorphologic evolution of the Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bungies, Nadin; Rosenberg, Claudio

2014-05-01

Alpine topography and relief vary regionally (Frisch et al., 1997), even on the scale of tens of kilometers. The causes of these differences are the aim of this work that is based on a geomorphological study of the eastern Alps. Earlier investigations on the topography of the Central Alps (Rosenberg & Garcia, 2013) show, by using 50 km, 75 km, and 100 km swath profiles, that the relief northward of the Insubric Line increases westward, whereas the relief southwards of the Insubric Line decreases eastward. This trend reflects collisional shortening trends recently observed in the Central Alps (Rosenberg & Kissling, 2013). In this work, we analyse the topography of the eastern Alps from the Brenner Area in the west to the Steiermark Area in the east, based on satellite images and digital terrain models, that cover an area of 36 000 km2 in the Austrian and Italian Alps. Based on these data, new GIS-aided datasets containing selected relief factors have been derived. These data are set in relationship to the eastward decrease in collisional shortening to test whether the latter trend has a geomorphic expression. In order to assess such a relationship north-south striking profiles, subparallel to the shortening direction and in addition to an E-W profile are investigated. It can be shown that the total relief of 3100 m (500-3600 m asl.) in the west of the working area is more pronounced than the total relief of 2300 m (700-3000 m asl) in the east of the working area. Furthermore slopes have higher amplitudes in the west when compared to the east. In the west approximately 65% of the slope profile show slopes larger than 50° while in the east approximately 40% of slopes are larger than 50° (based on 30 m topographic data). The evaluation of potential influencing factors will be achieved by conducting spatial and statistical data analysis and interpretation and is complemented by local studies investigating the evolution of relief for selected geologic units. Here, morphometrical indices play a major role in order to draw conclusions on the interdependencies of controlling factors (e.g. isostatic uplift, erosion and climate, resistance to weathering) and relief evolution. [1] Frisch et al. 1997, Tectonophysics, 297,1-15. [2] Rosenberg and Garcia, 2013, Geophys. Res. Abs. 15, EGU2013-9905. [3] Rosenberg and Kissling, 2013, Geophys. Res. Abs. 15, EGU2013-ASC-2013-7946.

Structurally controlled 'teleconnection' of large-scale mass wasting (Eastern Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostermann, Marc; Sanders, Diethard

2015-04-01

In the Brenner Pass area (Eastern Alps) , closely ahead of the most northward outlier ('nose') of the Southern-Alpine continental indenter, abundant deep-seated gravitational slope deformations and a cluster of five post-glacial rockslides are present. The indenter of roughly triangular shape formed during Neogene collision of the Southern-Alpine basement with the Eastern-Alpine nappe stack. Compression by the indenter activated a N-S striking, roughly W-E extensional fault northward of the nose of the indenter (Brenner-normal fault; BNF), and lengthened the Eastern-Alpine edifice along a set of major strike-slip faults. These fault zones display high seismicity, and are the preferred locus of catastrophic rapid slope failures (rockslides, rock avalanches) and deep-seated gravitational slope deformations. The seismotectonic stress field, earthquake activity, and structural data all indicate that the South-Alpine indenter still - or again - exerts compression; in consequence, the northward adjacent Eastern Alps are subject mainly to extension and strike-slip. For the rockslides in the Brenner Pass area, and for the deep-seated gravitational slope deformations, the fault zones combined with high seismic activity predispose massive slope failures. Structural data and earthquakes mainly record ~W-E extension within an Eastern Alpine basement block (Oetztal-Stubai basement complex) in the hangingwall of the BNF. In the Northern Calcareous Alps NW of the Oetztal-Stubai basement complex, dextral faults provide defacement scars for large rockfalls and rockslides. Towards the West, these dextral faults merge into a NNW-SSE striking sinistral fault zone that, in turn, displays high seismic activity and is the locus of another rockslide cluster (Fern Pass cluster; Prager et al., 2008). By its kinematics dictated by the South-Alpine indenter, the relatively rigid Oetztal-Stubai basement block relays faulting and associated mass-wasting over a N-S distance of more than 60 kilometers - from the Brenner Pass area located along the crestline of the Alps to mount Zugspitze near the northern fringe of the Northern Calcareous Alps. Major fault zones and intercalated rigid blocks thus can 'teleconnect' zones of preferred mass-wasting over large lateral distances in orogens. Reference: Prager, C., Zangerl, C., Patzelt, G., Brandner, R., 2008. Age distribution of fossil landslides in the Tyrol (Austria) and its surrounding areas. Natural Hazards and Earth System Science 8, 377-407.

New insights into the kinematics and seismotectonics of the Adria-Eurasia boundary in the eastern Alps from geodetic and seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serpelloni, Enrico; Vannucci, Gianfranco; Bennett, Richard A.; Anderlini, Letizia; Cavaliere, Adriano

2015-04-01

In this work we describe a new kinematic and seismotectonic model of the eastern Alps, at the boundary between Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, obtained from the analysis of geodetic (GPS) and seismological data. We use a dense GPS velocity field, obtained from integration of continuous, semi-continuous and survey-mode networks (~200 GPS stations between longitude 10°E and 17°E and latitude 44.5°N and 47.5°N) and an updated seismic and focal mechanisms catalogue, with uniformly calibrated moment magnitudes from ~1000 B.C.. Improved accuracies and precisions of GPS motion rates have been obtained by filtering displacement time-series for the spatially correlated common mode errors. The eastern Alps mark the boundary between the Adriatic microplate and the Eurasian plate through a wide zone of distributed deformation. Geodetic deformation and seismic release are more localized, and characterized by larger earthquakes, along the southeastern Alps fold-and-thrust belt, which accommodates the large part of the ~N-S Adria-Eurasia convergence, and in Slovenia, where a transition from ~N-S shortening to the eastward escape of the Pannonian Basin units occurs through a complex pattern of crustal deformation. GPS velocities well describe the overall kinematics, with a transition from NNW-ward to NE-ward motion trends (in a Eurasian frame) across Slovenia and Austria, but also show small but significant crustal deformation far from the major blocks boundaries. This may suggest internal continuous deformation or a more complex configuration of interacting tectonic blocks in the eastern Alps. This second hypothesis is taken into account and tested in this work. We use seismic moment release rate maps, active faults databases and inspections of GPS velocities in different local frames to define the geometry of a kinematic block model, constrained by GPS horizontal velocities, in order to estimate blocks rotations and elastic strain at blocks bounding faults. The improved GPS velocity field highlights significant strain accumulation off the main thrust fault segments in the southeastern Alps, in regions stroke by large (M>6.5) historical earthquakes (e.g., the 1117 Verona and the 1695 Asolo events). This is evident in the Venetian plain, where GPS highlights significant shortening in areas that are tens of km southward of the south Alpine mountain front. In the Italian southeastern Alps results from the block model, constrained by a denser GPS velocity field (e.g., around the Montello fault), put new lights on i) the way the Adria-Eurasia convergence is partitioned across the southeast Alpine mountain range, ii) about interseismic coupling along the main thrust faults and iii) the way N-S shortening is transferred, through right-lateral shear across the Dinaric system, to shortening across the Sava folds in Slovenia. In the end, a comparison of the estimated seismic moment release rates and the seismic moment accumulation rates, estimated from the model velocities, provide new insights into the seismic potential of the study region.

Interseismic coupling, seismic potential, and earthquake recurrence on the southern front of the Eastern Alps (NE Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheloni, D.; D'Agostino, N.; Selvaggi, G.

2014-05-01

Here we use continuous GPS observations to document the geodetic strain accumulation across the South-Eastern Alps (NE Italy). We estimate the interseismic coupling on the intracontinental collision thrust fault and discuss the seismic potential and earthquake recurrence. We invert the GPS velocities using the back slip approach to simultaneously estimate the relative angular velocity and the degree of interseismic coupling on the thrust fault that separates the Eastern Alps and the Venetian-Friulian plain. Comparison between the rigid rotation predicted motion and the shortening observed across the area indicates that the South-Eastern Alpine thrust front absorbs about 70% of the total convergence between the Adria and Eurasia plates. The coupling is computed on a north dipping fault following the continuous external seismogenic thrust front of the South-Eastern Alps. The modeled thrust fault is currently locked from the surface to a depth of ≈10 km. The transition zone between locked and creeping portions of the fault roughly corresponds with the belt of microseismicity parallel and to the north of the mountain front. The estimated moment deficit rate is 1.3 ± 0.4 × 1017 Nm/yr. The comparison between the estimated moment deficit and that released historically by the earthquakes suggests that to account for the moment deficit the following two factors or their combination should be considered: (1) a significant part of the observed interseismic coupling is released aseismically and (2) infrequent "large" events with long return period (> 1000 years) and with magnitudes larger than the value assigned to the largest historical events (Mw≈ 6.7).

Kinematics, seismotectonics and seismic potential of the eastern sector of the European Alps from GPS and seismic deformation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serpelloni, E.; Vannucci, G.; Anderlini, L.; Bennett, R. A.

2016-10-01

We present a first synoptic view of the seismotectonics and kinematics of the eastern sector of the European Alps using geodetic and seismological data. The study area marks the boundary between the Adriatic and the Eurasian plates, through a wide zone of deformation including a variety of tectonic styles within a complex network of crustal and lithospheric faults. A new dense GPS velocity field, new focal mechanisms and seismic catalogues, with uniformly re-calibrated magnitudes (from 1005), are used to estimate geodetic and seismic deformation rates and to develop interseismic kinematic and fault locking models. Kinematic indicators from seismological and geodetic data are remarkably consistent at different spatial scales. In addition to large-scale surface motion, GPS velocities highlight more localized deformation features revealing a complex configuration of interacting tectonic blocks, for which new constraints are provided in this work accounting for elastic strain build up at faults bonding rotating blocks. The geodetic and seismological data highlight two belts of higher deformation rates running WSW-ENE along the Eastern Southern Alps (ESA) in Italy and E-W in Slovenia, where deformation is more distributed. The highest geodetic strain-rates are observed in the Montello-Cansiglio segment of the ESA thrust front, for which the higher density of the GPS network provides indications of limited interseismic locking. Most of the dextral shear between the Eastern Southern Alps and the Eastern Alps blocks is accommodated along the Fella-Sava fault rather than the Periadriatic fault. In northern Croatia and Slovenia geodetic and seismological data allow constraining the kinematics of the active structures bounding the triangular-shaped region encompassing the Sava folds, which plays a major role in accommodating the transition from Adria- to Pannonian-like motion trends. The analysis of the seismic and geodetic moment rates provides new insights into the seismic potential along the ESA front.

The onset of alpine pastoral systems in the Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oeggl, Klaus; Festi, Daniela; Putzer, Andreas

2015-04-01

Since the discovery of the Neolithic glacier mummy "Ötzi" in the nival belt of the main Alpine ridge, the onset of alpine pasture is matter of a highly controversial debate both in archaeology and in palaeo-ecology of the Eastern Alps. The implication is that his sojourn in the high-altitudes of the Alps is considered to be connected with pastoral nomadism. Regrettably any archaeological evidence for the existence of such Neolithic alpine pastoral systems is missing up to now and the assumption is based on palynological data only. However, also the palynological record is ambiguous, because pasture indicators in the alpine regions react positive on grazing as well as on fertilization induced by a higher runoff of precipitation. Thus alpine pasture indicators reflect both grazing pressure and climatic change. Anyhow, alpine pastoral systems are a common practice in Alpine animal husbandry, but from an economic point of view such a seasonal vertical transhumance is costly. There are three main reasons for its practice: i) climatic, ii) economic (mainly in connection with population pressure or mining activities), and iii) cultural ideology. In this study we tested the above mentioned reasons in an interdisciplinary study on the beginning of pastoral activities in high altitudes in the central part of the Eastern Alps. This is conducted by palynological analyses of peat deposits situated in the vicinity of the timberline (1600 - 2400 m a.s.l.) combined with archaeological surveys. The investigated sites are located in traditional Alpine transhumance regions and aligned on a transect through the central part of the Eastern Alps. The studies reveal that grazing pressure is reflected since the Bronze Age, which is corroborated by archaeological findings in the vicinity of the investigated sites.

Interseismic coupling, seismic potential and earthquake recurrence on the southern front of the Eastern Alps (NE Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheloni, Daniele; D'Agostino, Nicola; Selvaggi, Giulio

2014-05-01

The interaction of the African, Arabian, and Eurasia plates in the "greater" Mediterranean region yields to a broad range of tectonic processes including active subduction, continental collision, major continental strike-slip faults and "intra-plate" mountain building. In this puzzling region the convergence between Adria microplate and Eurasia plate is partly or entirely absorbed within the South-Eastern Alps, where the Adriatic lithosphere underthrusts beneath the mountain belt. Historical seismicity and instrumentally recorded earthquakes show thrust faulting on north-dipping low-angle faults in agreement with geological observations of active mountain building and active fold growing at the foothills of the South-Eastern Alps. In this study, we use continuous GPS observations to document the geodetic strain accumulation across the South-Eastern Alps (NE Italy). We estimate the pattern of interseismic coupling on the intra-continental collision north-dipping thrust faults that separate the Eastern Alps and the Venetian-Friulian plain using the back-slip approach and discuss the seismic potential and earthquake recurrence. Comparison between the rigid-rotation predicted motion and the shortening observed across the studied area indicates that the South-Eastern Alpine thrust front absorbs about 80% of the total convergence rate between the Adria microplate and Eurasia plate. The modelled thrust fault is currently locked from the surface to a depth of approximately 10 km. The transition zone between locked and creeping portions of the fault roughly corresponds with the belt of microseismicity parallel and to the north of the mountain front. The estimated moment deficit rate is 1.27±0.14×10^17 Nm/yr. The comparison between the estimated moment deficit and that released historically by the earthquakes suggests that to account for the moment deficit the following two factors or their combination should be considered: (1) a significant part of the observed interseismic coupling is released aseismically by folding or creeping; (2) infrequent "large" events with long return period (>1000 years) and with magnitudes larger than the value assigned to the largest historical events (Mw≡6.7).

Seismic anisotropy and large-scale deformation of the Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bokelmann, Götz; Qorbani, Ehsan; Bianchi, Irene

2013-12-01

Mountain chains at the Earth's surface result from deformation processes within the Earth. Such deformation processes can be observed by seismic anisotropy, via the preferred alignment of elastically anisotropic minerals. The Alps show complex deformation at the Earth's surface. In contrast, we show here that observations of seismic anisotropy suggest a relatively simple pattern of internal deformation. Together with earlier observations from the Western Alps, the SKS shear-wave splitting observations presented here show one of the clearest examples yet of mountain chain-parallel fast orientations worldwide, with a simple pattern nearly parallel to the trend of the mountain chain. In the Eastern Alps, the fast orientations do not connect with neighboring mountain chains, neither the present-day Carpathians, nor the present-day Dinarides. In that region, the lithosphere is thin and the observed anisotropy thus resides within the asthenosphere. The deformation is consistent with the eastward extrusion toward the Pannonian basin that was previously suggested based on seismicity and surface geology.

Analog Modeling of the Interplay between Subduction and Lateral Extrusion in the European Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Gelder, I. E.; Willingshofer, E.; Sokoutis, D.

2014-12-01

In the European Alps lateral extrusion is traditionally viewed as a lithospheric scale process that is related to northward indentation of a weak orogenic wedge (the eastern Alps) by a rigid indenter in upper plate position (the Adriatic plate). Critical for the efficiency of the extrusion process is the presence of a 'free boundary' at high angle to the indentation direction. The 'free boundary' in the eastern Alps is the result of the eastward extending Pannonian realm synchronous to indentation. However, indentation has become debatable as recent high-resolution tomography suggests that the Adriatic mantle lithosphere subducted under the extruding Alps. These findings raise first order questions related to: (a) the partitioning of deformation between lateral extrusion of the upper plate and coeval subduction of Adria, (b) the rheology of the lower and upper plates, and (c) the rheology of the plate contact controlling the amount of extrusion on the upper plate vs. accretion on the lower plate.In this analog modeling study, we couple for the first time lateral extrusion tectonics to subduction of the lower plate; thus, extrusion taking place in the upper plate. Within the lithospheric scale models, the lithospheres of the two plates are weakly coupled along an inclined boundary and have contrasting mantle lithosphere strength (stronger in the subducting plate). The interplay of extrusion vs subduction is inferred by varying the mechanical boundary conditions, e.g. the degree of resistance at the 'unconstrained' margin, the strength contrast between the upper and the lower plates and the width of the indented region.The experimental results emphasize that extrusion in the eastern Alps is compatible with coeval subduction of the Adriatic plate. The first experimental series suggests that the following mechanical conditions play a key role in the interplay between extrusion and subduction: (a) the extruding plate is weaker than the subducting plate, (b) the plate contact is weak in order to trigger the subduction of the lower plate, and (c) the eastern boundary is weak and thus allows for accommodating the extruding upper plate.

Constraints on the Miocene landscape evolution of the Eastern Alps from the Kalkspitze region, Niedere Tauern (Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dertnig, Florian; Stüwe, Kurt; Woodhead, Jon; Stuart, Finlay M.; Spötl, Christoph

2017-12-01

In order to unravel aspects of the Miocene landscape evolution of the eastern European Alps, we present geomorphic and isotopic data from the western Niedere Tauern region (Austria). The region is critical for such interpretations, because it is one of the few regions along the topographic axis of the Eastern Alps where the highest peaks (up to 2500 m a.s.l.) are dominated by limestone. As such, the region contains a record of Miocene landscape-forming events that survived the Pleistocene glaciations, not preserved elsewhere in the central Eastern Alps. This record includes karst caves, karstified planation surfaces and crystalline fluvial pebbles (Augenstein Formation) preserved on planation surfaces and in karst caves. Caves in the region occur in three distinct levels that correlate with well-known cave levels in the Northern Calcareous Alps, although they are somewhat higher in the Niedere Tauern. In part, these cave elevations also correlate with three planation surfaces and knickpoints of major streams draining the region, testifying their pre-glacial origin. We report details of a karst cave (Durchgangshöhle) from the highest cave level located at 2340 m a.s.l. In this cave, allochthonous fluvial gravels are present, overgrown by speleothems. One speleothem yielded an early middle Pleistocene U-Pb age (682 ± 17 ka). We regard this as a minimum age for the erosion of the fluvial cave deposits during Marine Isotope Stages 17 or 16. Carbon and oxygen isotope data of these speleothems imply a climate that is consistent with this interpretation. Cosmogenic 21Ne data of fluvial quartz clasts collected from the surface on plateaus of the Northern Calcareous Alps suggest minimum exposure durations of 115 and 262 ka. They probably reflect successive exposure since removal of the sediment cover of the Oligocene Augenstein Formation during the Pleistocene. While our geochronological data fail to record aspects of the earlier Miocene uplift history, they are consistent with the overall geomorphic history inferred from the geomorphic markers. This suggests that the Niedere Tauern share a common uplift history with the Northern Calcareous Aps and implies a moderate south-north topographic gradient that has been maintained since the Miocene.

Serpentinite slices within a tectonic zone at the base of the Juvavic nappe system in the Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria): characterization and origin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boehm, Katharina; Schuster, Ralf; Wagreich, Michael; Koller, Friedrich; Wimmer-Frey, Ingeborg

2014-05-01

The investigated serpentinites are present in an ENE-WSW orientated tectonic zone at the base of Juvavic nappes (Northern Calcareous Alps), situated at the eastern margin of the Eastern Alps (Lower Austria). They form small tectonically squeezed slices, which are embedded in Permotriassic schists and Middle to Upper Triassic limestones. These serpentinites play an important, but not yet understood role in reconstructing Neotethys evolution, Alpine Orogeny and the correlation of Dinarides and Alps. The largest serpentinite body near to Unterhöflein is 400 to 100 meters in size and was investigated by mineralogical (XRD) and petrological/geochemical (XRF) methods. The primary mineral composition is olivine + orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + chrome spinel. Pseudomorphs of pyroxenes are visible macroscopically, but almost all primary minerals are replaced by serpentine minerals. Former olivine is converted to chrysotile minerals, which show typical reticulate textures, orthopyroxene turned into lizardite pseudomorphs and chrome spinel is almost completely altered to magnetite. Major contents of chrysotile-α, chrysotile-γ and lizardite and minor antigorite, as well as secondary minerals like talc, chlorite and hydrogrossular were identified with XRD. Results from whole rock geochemistry indicate harzburgitic precursor rocks for the serpentinites. According to the low antigorite content, the rocks have only a weak metamorphic imprint and therefore an obduction rather than a subduction history is likely. This leads to the assumption that these serpentinites possibly originate from the Neotethys and not from the Penninic oceanic realm. Further, the tectonic position of the serpentinite slices is in close vicinity to sediments of the Meliata unit which also occur between Juvavic and underlying Tirolic nappe system (Mandl & Ondrejickova, 1993). Additionally, remnants from ophiolite nappes are found reworked into the surrounding Upper Cretaceous Gosau Group. In the latter also chrome spinel detritus is present. In contrast to the altered chrome spinels in the investigated serpentinites, the spinels from Gosau Group are well preserved and they show similarities to those of Dinaric Cretaceous basins, concerning their harzburgitic and lherzolitic sources (Stern & Wagreich, 2013). If the investigated serpentinites belong to obducted material from Neothetys oceanic realm, a tectonic model of a slab-tearing induced sinistral strike-slip zone could explain the position in the Eastern Alps. However, the relationship to other basic magmatic rocks from several other localities in similar positions, mostly occurring within evaporitic sediments of Permian Haselgebirge (Schorn et al., 2013), has to be clarified.

Modes of orogen-parallel stretching and extensional exhumation in response to microplate indentation and roll-back subduction (Tauern Window, Eastern Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scharf, A.; Handy, M. R.; Favaro, S.; Schmid, S. M.; Bertrand, A.

2013-09-01

The Tauern Window exposes a Paleogene nappe stack consisting of highly metamorphosed oceanic (Alpine Tethys) and continental (distal European margin) thrust sheets. In the eastern part of this window, this nappe stack (Eastern Tauern Subdome, ETD) is bounded by a Neogene system of shear (the Katschberg Shear Zone System, KSZS) that accommodated orogen-parallel stretching, orogen-normal shortening, and exhumation with respect to the structurally overlying Austroalpine units (Adriatic margin). The KSZS comprises a ≤5-km-thick belt of retrograde mylonite, the central segment of which is a southeast-dipping, low-angle extensional shear zone with a brittle overprint (Katschberg Normal Fault, KNF). At the northern and southern ends of this central segment, the KSZS loses its brittle overprint and swings around both corners of the ETD to become subvertical, dextral, and sinistral strike-slip faults. The latter represent stretching faults whose displacements decrease westward to near zero. The kinematic continuity of top-east to top-southeast ductile shearing along the central, low-angle extensional part of the KSZS with strike-slip shearing along its steep ends, combined with maximum tectonic omission of nappes of the ETD in the footwall of the KNF, indicates that north-south shortening, orogen-parallel stretching, and normal faulting were coeval. Stratigraphic and radiometric ages constrain exhumation of the folded nappe complex in the footwall of the KSZS to have begun at 23-21 Ma, leading to rapid cooling between 21 and 16 Ma. This exhumation involved a combination of tectonic unroofing by extensional shearing, upright folding, and erosional denudation. The contribution of tectonic unroofing is greatest along the central segment of the KSZS and decreases westward to the central part of the Tauern Window. The KSZS formed in response to the indentation of wedge-shaped blocks of semi-rigid Austroalpine basement located in front of the South-Alpine indenter that was part of the Adriatic microplate. Northward motion of this indenter along the sinistral Giudicarie Belt offsets the Periadriatic Fault and triggered rapid exhumation of orogenic crust within the entire Tauern Window. Exhumation involved strike-slip and normal faulting that accommodated about 100 km of orogen-parallel extension and was contemporaneous with about 30 km of orogen-perpendicular, north-south shortening of the ETD. Extension of the Pannonian Basin related to roll-back subduction in the Carpathians began at 20 Ma, but did not affect the Eastern Alps before about 17 Ma. The effect of this extension was to reduce the lateral resistance to eastward crustal flow away from the zone of greatest thickening in the Tauern Window area. Therefore, we propose that roll-back subduction temporarily enhanced rather than triggered exhumation and orogen-parallel motion in the Eastern Alps. Lateral extrusion and orogen-parallel extension in the Eastern Alps have continued from 12 to 10 Ma to the present and are driven by northward push of Adria.

Adria/Europe collision effects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Balla, Z.

1988-08-01

In the Senonian, the Adriatic promontory of the African plate lay between two transform faults which joined the north-vergent Alpine-Carpathian front with the south-vergent Apenninic and Hellenic fronts. In the late Eocene it collided with the European continent. The head of the promontory was crushed by compression in the Oligocene and lengthened in a west-east direction. This initiated formation of the West Alpine and West Carpathian arcs. A bay of thin European crust in the area now occupied by the Carpathians facilitated a more pronounced advance of the eastern arc. A wedge-shaped body with the Bakony Mountains in its rigidmore » core was pressed out from the Alpine region. The eastern Alps and the West Carpathians as well as the Southern Alps and the middle Pannonian units suffered sinistral and dextral shear, respectively, which resulted in their lengthening and zonality. In the early-middle Miocene in the Adriatic promontory was broken up. Its northern part suffered counterclockwise rotation in connection with the opening of the Ligurian Sea while the southern part only shifted relative to Africa. Rotation of the northern microplate forced the Dinaric-Hellenic arc to change its shape from convex to concave, and the intra-Carpathian units advanced toward the northeast and rotated toward each other. This completed the Carpathian arc and initiated subsidence in the Pannonian basin. Since the late Miocene the Adriatic promontory has acted again as a part of Africa with a maximum 60-km shift toward the west, caused by the escaping Turkish microplate.« less

Isotopic composition of sulfate accumulations, Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bojar, Ana-Voica; Halas, Stanislaw; Bojar, Hans-Peter; Trembaczowski, Andrzej

2015-04-01

The Eastern Alps are characterised by the presence of three main tectonic units, such as the Lower, Middle and Upper Austroalpine, which overlie the Penninicum (Tollmann, 1977). The Upper Austroalpine unit consists of the Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA) overlying the Greywacke zone and corresponding to the Graz Paleozoic, Murau Paleozoic and the Gurktal Nappe. Evaporitic rocks are lacking in the later ones. The Northern Calcareous Alps are a detached fold and thrust belt. The sedimentation started in the Late Carboniferous or Early Permian, the age of the youngest sediments being Eocene. The NCA are divided into the Bajuvaric, Tirolic and Juvavic nappe complexes. The evaporitic Haselgebirge Formation occurs in connection with the Juvavic nappe complex at the base of the Tirolic units (Leitner et al., 2013). The Haselgebirge Formation consists mainly of salt, shales, gypsum and anhydrite and includes the oldest sediments of the NCA. The age of the Haselgebirge Formation, established by using spors and geochronological data, is Permian to Lower Triassic. For the Northern Calcareous Alps, the mineralogy of sulphate accumulations consists mainly of gypsum and anhydrite and subordonates of carbonates. The carbonates as magnesite, dolomite and calcite can be found either as singular crystals or as small accumulations within the hosting gypsum. Sulfides (sphalerite, galena, pyrite), sulfarsenides (enargite, baumhauerite) and native sulphur enrichments are known from several deposits (Kirchner, 1987; Postl, 1990). The investigated samples were selected from various gypsum and halite rich deposits of the Northern Calcareous Alps. A total of over 20 samples were investigated, and both oxygen and sulfur isotopic composition were determined for anhydrite, gyps, polyhalite, blödite and langbeinite. The sulfur isotopic values vary between 10.1 to 14 ‰ (CDT), with three values higher than 14 ‰. The Oxygen isotopic values show a range from 9 to 23 ‰ (SMOW). The sulfur isotopic compositon of 14 sulfides as galena, sphalerite, pyrite and native sulfure were determined as well, with values ranging between -17.5 and 2.8 ‰ (CDT). For the investigated sulfates, the sulfur isotopic values show generally low values, which are characteristic for the late Permian. The broad distribution of sulfide values point toward bacterial reduction, fact also reflected by some higher isotopic values of sulfates. The oxygen values show a larger scatter from 9 to 23‰, which is even larger than that found for the Zechstein anhydrites of northern Germany, north-eastern Italian Alps or western Poland. The associated carbonates, as calcite, dolomite and magnesite are in disequilibrium with the sulfates indicating rather primary marine isotopic signature than re-equlibration with the sulfates at higher temperatures. References Leitner, C., Neubauer, F., Genser, J., Borojevic-Sostaric, B., Rantitsch, G., 2013. 40Ar/39Ar ages of recrystallization of rock-forming polyhalite in Alpine rocksalt deposits. In Jordan, F., Mark, D.F., Verati C. (eds.) Advances in 40Ar/39Ar Dating: from Archaeology to Planetary Sciences. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 378, 207-244. Kirchner, E., 1987: Die Mineral- und Gesteinsvorkommen in den Gipslagerstätten der Lammermasse, innerhalb der Hallstattzone, Salzburg. Jahrbuch Haus der Natur. 10, 156-167. Postl, W., 1990. Enargit und Parnauit aus dem Gips- und Anhydritbergbau Tragöß-Oberort, Steiermark. In: Niedermayr, G. et al. (1990): Neue Mineralfunde aus Österreich XXXIX. Carinthia II, 180/100, 277. Tollmann, A., 1977. Geologie von Österreich. Band 1. Die Zentralalpen. Deuticke, Wien, 766 pp.

Brittle deformation and exhumation mechanisms in the core of the Eastern Alps, The Tauern Window

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertrand, Audrey; Garcia, Sebastian; Rosenberg, Claudio

2010-05-01

The Tauern Window (TW) is a Tertiary structural and thermal dome located in the core of the Eastern Alpine orogen and in front of the Dolomite indenter. The Penninic basement and cover units within the TW attained their thermal peak about 30 Myr ago (e.g., Selverstone et al., 1992) followed by cooling and exhumation from Early Oligocene to late Miocene time (e.g., Grundmann and Morteani, 1985). Most exhumation was partly accommodated by two normal faults at the western and eastern ends of the TW (Brenner and Katschberg faults, respectively). Although these normal faults are well described in the literature, their roles in the exhumation of the TW are still under debate: Exhumation accommodated primarily by folding and erosion (e.g., Rosenberg et al., 2004) versus exhumation mainly accommodated by Brenner and Katschberg normal faulting (e.g., Selverstone, 1988; Ratschbacher et al., 1989). New fault-slip data from the TW allow us to reconstruct paleostress axes by inversion and to constrain the relative roles of the folding and orogen-parallel extension during the late deformation history of the TW, in the brittle-field. Our results show little evidence of compression and a clear zoning of the paleostress field in the TW. In the central part of the TW, the σ1 direction is sub-horizontal N-S to NE-SW (strike-slip), whereas it is steep in the footwall of the Brenner and the Katschberg normal faults. Local variability of the σ3 direction are observed; indeed, the σ3 direction varies from E-W to WNW-ESE along the Brenner fault, to NW-SE along the Jaufen fault, the inferred southern continuation of the Brenner fault (Schneider et al., this session). Along the Katschberg fault, the σ3 direction is mainly NNW-SSE oriented, which is consistent with extension in front of a triangular dead zone shape induced by the WSW-striking Dolomites indenter. Nearly no evidence of a stress field compatible with upright folding (D2 phase of deformation) was found in the brittle domain. Taken together, our results suggest that the brittle crust of the TW was mostly affected by a strike-slip state of stress, which grades into extension at the eastern and western margins of the dome. This suggests that the inverse regime associated with the upright folds terminated before these structures entered the brittle field. Hence, the strike-slip regime postdates in a short time-span the reverse one. The brittle crust of the TW affected by the pure-compressional regime may have been eroded or perhaps there was never any compression after the crust was exhumed to above the ductile-brittle transition. References Grundmann, G., and Morteani, G., 1985, The young uplift and thermal history of the central Eastern Alps (Austria/Italy), evidence from apatite fission track ages. Jahrb. der Geo. Bundesanstalt, 128, 197-216. Ratschbacher, L., Frisch, W., Neubauer, F., Schmid, S. M., and Neugebauer, J., 1989, Extension in compressional orogenic belts: The eastern Alps. Geology, 17, 404-407. Rosenberg, C. L., Brun, J.-P., and Gapais, D., 2004, An indentation model of the Eastern Alps and the origin of the Tauern Window. Geology, 32, 997-1000. Schneider, S., Bertrand, A. & Rosenberg, C.L. The Jaufental Fault: a kinematic link between the Tauern Window and south-Alpine Indentation. Abstract EGU2010. Selverstone, J., 1988, Evidence for East-West crustal extension in the eastern Alps: implications for the unroofing history of the Tauern Window. Tectonics, 7, 87-105. Selverstone, J., Franz, G., Thomas, S., Getty, S., 1992. Fluid variability in 2 GPa eclogites as an indicator of fluid behavior during subduction. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 112, 341-357.

How steep are the Alps?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robl, Jörg; Prasicek, Günther; Stüwe, Kurt; Hergarten, Stefan

2014-05-01

The topography of the European Alps reflects continental collision, crustal thickening and buoyancy driven surface uplift, overprinted by erosional processes. Topographic gradients generally steepen from the valley floors up to about 1500 m - 2000 m followed by an unexpected decrease in slope up to about 2900 m and a further increase to the highest summits of the range. Several studies have interpreted this pattern and the accompanied maximum in the hypsometric curve in terms of either the critical slope stability angle, the prematurity of the Alps caused by recent tectonic uplift, or the effect of the glacial "buzz saw" related to the Pleistocene glaciation cycles. There is consensus that the lithological inventory represents a first order parameter for the steepness of fluvial channels and the angle of hillslopes in steady state and that the response time of a transient landscape is controlled by lithology. In this study we systematically explore the slope-elevation distributions for several hundred continuous domains of the major structural units of the Alps. For this, we apply a novel numerical code to determine the predominant cause for the observed peculiar topography. We compare adjacent alpine domains with contrasting lithology to explore lithological effects on the limiting slope stability angle. We analyze domains with different lithology in the non-glaciated parts of the orogen to highlight the state of maturity related to a recent uplift event. We evaluate the glacial effects on the landscape by the comparison of areas belonging to the same structural units but affected by a variable amount of glacial imprint. The results show that lithology has a major impact on the morphometric characteristics of the European Alps. Adjacent but different structural units show a significant variability in their slope-elevation distributions although they have experienced the same uplift history and the same amount of glacial imprint. This suggests that the response time and process rates in transient landscapes are predominantly governed by the lithological inventory. Areas belonging to the same structural unit show similar characteristics in the slope-elevation distribution independent from their spatial position within the orogen (e.g. external massifs). These similarities are probably caused by the vertical position of the Pleistocene equilibrium line altitude - an observation well in line with the glacial "buzz saw" hypothesis. However, several non-glaciated regions at the eastern and south-western border of the Alps show a slope-elevation relation similar to formerly glaciated domains. However, in contrast to the glaciated realm, the inflection point in the slope-elevation distribution is located at various elevation levels and is consistent with a reported recent pulse of uplift with spatial and/or temporal variations in uplift rate and initiation. Therefore, we interpret the slope-elevation distribution of the European Alps to be mainly caused by glacial erosion. The morphological record of a recent uplift event in the Alps has probably been overprinted by Pleistocene glaciations and may therefore only be detectable in non-glaciated regions of the peripheral parts of the Alps and in subsurface structures.

Structure and evolution of a rocksalt-mudrock-tectonite: The haselgebirge in the Northern Calcareous Alps.

PubMed

Leitner, Christoph; Neubauer, Franz; Urai, János L; Schoenherr, Johannes

2011-05-01

The Northern Calcareous Alps are part of the Eastern Alps in Austria and Germany. The Mesozoic units of this fold-and-thrust belt were detached, thrusted and stacked along the evaporitic Haselgebirge Formation. Exposed in salt mines, rocksalt and mudrock form a two component tectonite: The rock type "haselgebirge" consists of 10-70 wt % halite with silt- to gravel- or block-sized components within a halite matrix, and the "kerngebirge" with >70 wt % halite. All rock types studied are fault rocks. By use of a temperature-independent subgrain size piezometer, the paleo-differential stress of halite was calculated at ca. 2.5 MPa in Altaussee and ca. 4.5 MPa in Berchtesgaden. Including data from a grain-size piezometer, temperatures were estimated at ca. 150 ± 20 °C and 110 ± 10 °C. This implies very high strain rates, which are about 10 -10 -10 -9  s -1 . During the tectonic movement, the halite deformed, recrystallized, and crystallized as veins in mudrock fractures. We interpret high overpressure of the pore fluid to have significantly contributed to fracturing of the mudrock.

Post-20 Ma Motion of the Adriatic Plate: New Constraints From Surrounding Orogens and Implications for Crust-Mantle Decoupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Breton, Eline; Handy, Mark R.; Molli, Giancarlo; Ustaszewski, Kamil

2017-12-01

A new kinematic reconstruction that incorporates estimates of post-20 Ma shortening and extension in the Apennines, Alps, Dinarides, and Sicily Channel Rift Zone (SCRZ) reveals that the Adriatic microplate (Adria) rotated counterclockwise as it subducted beneath the European Plate to the west and to the east, while indenting the Alps to the north. Minimum and maximum amounts of rotation are derived by using, respectively, estimates of crustal extension along the SCRZ (minimum of 30 km) combined with crustal shortening in the Eastern Alps (minimum of 115 km) and a maximum amount (140 km) of convergence between Adria and Moesia across the southern Dinarides and Carpatho-Balkan orogens. When combined with Neogene convergence in the Western Alps, the best fit of available structural data constrains Adria to have moved 113 km to the NW (azimuth 325°) while rotating 5 ± 3° counterclockwise relative to Europe since 20 Ma. Amounts of plate convergence predicted by our new model exceed Neogene shortening estimates of several tens of kilometers in both the Apennines and Dinarides. We attribute this difference to crust-mantle decoupling (delamination) during rollback in the Apennines and to distributed deformation related to the northward motion of the Dacia Unit between the southern Dinarides and Europe (Moesia). Neogene motion of Adria resulted from a combination of Africa pushing from the south, the Adriatic-Hellenides slab pulling to the northeast, and crustal wedging in the Western Alps, which acted as a pivot and stopped farther northwestward motion of Adria relative to Europe.

UNESCO World Heritage Site Hallstatt: Rockfall hazard and risk assessment as basis for a sustainable land-use planning- a case study from the Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melzner, Sandra; Mölk, Michael; Schiffer, Michael; Gasperl, Wolfgang

2015-04-01

In times of decreasing financial resources, the demand for the investment in protection measures with a positive return on investment is of high importance. Hazard and risk assessments are essential tools in order to ensure an economically justifiable application of money in the implementation of preventive measures. Many areas in the Eastern Alps are recurrently affected by rockfall processes which pose a significant hazard to settlements and infrastructures. Complex tectonic, lithological and geomorphologic settings require a sufficient amount of effort to map and collect high quality data to perform a reliable hazard and risk analysis. The present work summarizes the results of a detailed hazard and risk assessment performed in a community in the Northern Calcareous Alps (Upper Austroalpine Unit). The community Hallstatt is exposed to very steep limestone cliffs, which are highly susceptible towards future, in many parts high magnitude rock failures. The analysis of the record of former events shows that since 1652 several rockfall events damaged or destroyed houses and killed or injured some people. Hallstatt as a Unesco World Heritage Site represents a very vulnerable settlement, the risk being elevated by a high frequency tourism with greater one million visitors per year. Discussion will focus on the applied methods to identify and map the rockfall hazard and risk, including a magnitude-frequency analysis of events in the past and an extrapolation in the future as well as a vulnerability analysis for the existing infrastructure under the assumed events for the determined magnitude-frequency scenarios. Furthermore challenges for a decision making in terms of a sustainable land use planning and implementation of preventive measures will be discussed.

Preserved Organic Matter in the Alpine Tethyan Ocean Continental Transition (Totalp unit, Eastern Swiss Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mateeva, T.; Wolff, G. A.; Kusznir, N.; Wheeler, J.; Manatschal, G.

2015-12-01

Observations at hydrothermal systems in modern ocean settings suggest that methane produced by serpentinization can support methanotrophic bio-systems. An important question is whether such bio-systems are localised or are more pervasive in their association with serpentinized mantle in the subsurface. This has implications for the global importance of the hidden sub-surface bio-systems, the fate of methane and the carbon cycle. The Totalp unit, a remnant of a former Ocean Continent Transition (OCT) exposed in Alps of Eastern Switzerland, has been chosen to investigate the presence or absence of methanotrophic biosystems within serpentinized exhumed mantle in the Alpine Tethyan margin. The Totalp unit is made of serpentinized mantle and ophicalcites overlain by Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous post-rift sediments. The Totalp unit has undergone little Alpine deformation and only a low-grade metamorphic overprint (<200°C). Totalp samples are characterized by total carbon contents of 0.02% to 12.90% and organic carbon contents of 1x10-4 % to 8%. This large range of values reflects the large lithological diversity of this area. The serpentinized peridotite, ophicalcite and post-rift sediments contain hydrocarbons in the form of n-alkanes in the range C20 - C40; isoprenoids, for example pristane and phytane are present in sediments. The organic biological marker distribution is consistent with the temperature history of the OCT (i.e.lower maximum temperature than 200°C). First results from Totalp show evidence for preservation of marine organic matter in the serpentinized mantle and overlying sediments, although there is no evidence that any organic matter is generated from methanotrophic bio-systems. Nevertheless, focussing on Tethyan hydrothermal systems and preserved hydrocarbons will be critical in understanding whether methanotrophic biomarkers can be preserved and if so whether the methane originated from serpentenization.

States of paleostress north and south of the Periadriatic fault: Comparison of the Drau Range and the Friuli Southalpine wedge

PubMed Central

Bartel, Esther Maria; Neubauer, Franz; Genser, Johann; Heberer, Bianca

2014-01-01

This study focuses on the analysis of structures and kinematics of a N–S profile along the axis of maximum shortening of the European Eastern Alps. The area includes the southern Austroalpine unit in the north and the Southalpine unit, which is a part of the Adriatic indenter. The stratigraphically different units are separated by the Periadriatic fault, the major strike-slip fault within the Alps. In order to assess the kinematics of these units, mainly fault-slip data from north and south of the Periadriatic fault were analyzed. We distinguish a succession of five main kinematic groups in both units: (1) N–S compression; (2) NW–SE compression; (3) NE–SW compression, σ3 changes gradually from subvertical to subhorizontal; (4) N–S compression; and (5) NW–SE compression. Our study reveals that the deformation sequence on either sides of the PAF is similar. The mean orientations of the principal stress axes, however, show small, but consistent differences: The subhorizontal axes north of the Periadriatic fault plunge northward, in the south southward. A counterclockwise (CCW) rotation of the southern part in respect to the north is evident and in line with the well-known counterclockwise rotation of the Adriatic indenter as well as dextral displacement of the N-fanning stress-field along the Periadriatic fault. Opposing plunge directions are interpreted as a primary feature of the internal stress-field within an orogenic wedge further increased during ongoing compression. PMID:27064736

Age and Prematurity of the Alps Derived from Topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hergarten, S.; Wagner, T.; Stüwe, K.

2010-09-01

The European Alps are one of the best studied mountain ranges on Earth, but yet the age of their topography is almost unknown. Even their relative stage of evolution is unclear: Are the Alps still growing, in a steady state or already decaying, and is there a significant difference between Western and Eastern Alps? Using a new geomorphic parameter we analyze the topography of the Alps and provide one of the first quantitative constraints demonstrating that the range is still in its infancy: In contrast to several other mountain ranges, the Alps have still more than half of their evolution to a geomorphic steady state to go. Combining our results with sediment budget data from the surrounding basins we infer that the formation of the present topography began only 5-6 million years ago. Our results question the apparent consensus that the topographic evolution is distributed over much of the Miocene and might give new impulses to the reconstruction of paleoclimate in Central Europe.

Average snowcover density values in Eastern Alps mountain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valt, M.; Moro, D.

2009-04-01

The Italian Avalanche Warning Services monitor the snow cover characteristics through networks evenly distributed all over the alpine chain. Measurements of snow stratigraphy and density are very frequently performed with sampling rates of 1 -2 times per week. Snow cover density values are used to compute the dimensions of the building roofs as well as to design avalanche barriers. Based on the measured snow densities the Electricity Board can predict the amount of water resources deriving from snow melt in high relieves drainage basins. In this work it was possible to compute characteristic density values of the snow cover in the Eastern Alps using the information contained in the database from the ARPA (Agenzia Regionale Protezione Ambiente)-Centro Valanghe di Arabba, and Ufficio Valanghe- Udine. Among the other things, this database includes 15 years of stratigraphic measurements. More than 6,000 snow stratigraphic logs were analysed, in order to derive typical values as for geographical area, altitude, exposure, snow cover thickness and season. Computed values were compared to those established by the current Italian laws. Eventually, experts identified and evaluated the correlations between the seasonal variations of the average snow density and the variations related to the snowfall rate in the period 1994-2008 in the Eastern Alps mountain range

Structure and evolution of a rocksalt-mudrock-tectonite: The haselgebirge in the Northern Calcareous Alps

PubMed Central

Leitner, Christoph; Neubauer, Franz; Urai, János L.; Schoenherr, Johannes

2011-01-01

The Northern Calcareous Alps are part of the Eastern Alps in Austria and Germany. The Mesozoic units of this fold-and-thrust belt were detached, thrusted and stacked along the evaporitic Haselgebirge Formation. Exposed in salt mines, rocksalt and mudrock form a two component tectonite: The rock type “haselgebirge” consists of 10–70 wt % halite with silt- to gravel- or block-sized components within a halite matrix, and the “kerngebirge” with >70 wt % halite. All rock types studied are fault rocks. By use of a temperature-independent subgrain size piezometer, the paleo-differential stress of halite was calculated at ca. 2.5 MPa in Altaussee and ca. 4.5 MPa in Berchtesgaden. Including data from a grain-size piezometer, temperatures were estimated at ca. 150 ± 20 °C and 110 ± 10 °C. This implies very high strain rates, which are about 10−10–10−9 s−1. During the tectonic movement, the halite deformed, recrystallized, and crystallized as veins in mudrock fractures. We interpret high overpressure of the pore fluid to have significantly contributed to fracturing of the mudrock. PMID:26523077

Seismically-triggered soft-sediment deformation structures close to a major strike-slip fault system in the Eastern Alps (Hirlatz cave, Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salomon, Martina Lan; Grasemann, Bernhard; Plan, Lukas; Gier, Susanne; Schöpfer, Martin P. J.

2018-05-01

We investigate episodic soft-sediment deformation structures cross-cut by normal faults preserved in unlithified finely laminated calcite rich sediments in the Hirlatz cave in the Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria). These sediments comprise varve-like alternations of brighter carbonate/quartz rich layers, and darker clay mineral rich layers. The deformed sediments contain abundant millimeter to centimeter-scale soft-sediment structures (load casts, ball-and-pillow structures), sheet slumps (thrust faults and folds), erosive channels filled with slides and chaotic slumps. After deposition and soft-sediment deformation normal faults developed within the entire sedimentary succession, an event that probably correlates with an offset of c. 10 cm of the passage wall above the outcrop. Our major conclusions are: (i) The sediments have a glacial origin and were deposited in the Hirlatz cave under phreatic fluvio-lacustrine conditions. The deposition and the soft-sediment deformation occurred most likely during the last glaciation (i.e. around 25 ka ago); (ii) The liquefaction and formation of the soft-sediment structures in water-saturated stratified layers was triggered by episodic seismic events; (iii) The internally deformed sediments were later displaced by normal faults; (iv) A possible source for the seismic events is the active sinistral Salzach-Ennstal-Mariazeller-Puchberger (SEMP) strike-slip fault which is located about 10 km south of the outcrop and plays a major role in accommodating the extrusion of the Eastern Alps towards the Pannonian Basin. To our knowledge, the described structures are the first report of liquefaction and seismically induced soft-sediment deformations in Quaternary sediments in the Eastern Alps.

First-order similarities and differences between Alps, Dinarides, Hellenides and Anatolides-Taurides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmid, Stefan M.; Bernoulli, Daniel; Fügenschuh, Bernhard; Matenco, Liviu; Schefer, Senecio; Oberhänsli, Roland; van Hinsbergen, Douwe; Ustaszewski, Kamil

2013-04-01

We correlated tectonic units across several circum-Mediterranean orogen strands between the Alps, Carpathians, the Balkan Peninsula, the Aegean and Western Turkey. Our compilation allows discussing fundamental along-strike similarities and differences. One first-order difference is that Dinarides-Hellenides, Anatolides and Taurides represent orogens of opposite subduction polarity and age with respect to the Alps and Carpathians. The internal Dinarides are linked to the Alps and Western Carpathians along the Mid-Hungarian fault zone, a suspected former trench-trench transform fault; its lithospheric root was obliterated during Neogene back-arc extension that formed the Pannonian Basin. Dinarides and Hellenides alike consist of far-travelled nappes detached from the Adriatic continental margin along décollement horizons in Paleozoic or younger stratigraphic levels during Cretaceous and Cenozoic orogeny. The more internal nappes (i.e. Jadar-Kopaonik, Drina-Ivanjica, East Bosnian-Durmitor and their Pelagonian and Almopias equivalents in the Hellenides) are composite nappes whereby the allochthonous Adriatic margin sequences passively carry ophiolites (Western Vardar Ophiolitic Unit) obducted during the latest Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous. These obducted ophiolitic units, as well as ophiolites obducted onto Europe-derived units presently found in the East Carpathians (Eastern Vardar Ophiolitic Unit obducted onto the Dacia continental block), root in one single Neotethys ocean that started closing with the initiation of obduction in the latest Jurassic; final suturing occurred during Cretaceous times, terminating with the formation of the Sava-Izmir-Ankara suture in the latest Cretaceous. Ophiolitic "massifs" found outside the Sava-Izmir-Ankara suture zone do not mark oceanic sutures, nor do the Drina-Ivanjica and Pelagonian "massifs" represent independent continental fragments (terranes). The same logic applies to Western Turkey with the difference that the ophiolites were obducted in Late Cretaceous rather than Late Jurassic times. Also, the Sakarya zone and Cretaceous ophiolites of Turkey cannot be traced far into the Aegean region. The widespread existence of obducted ophiolites in the East Carpathians, Dinarides-Hellenides and Western Turkey thus represents a first-order difference to the Alps and Western Carpathians, where oceanic units derived from the Alpine Tethys occur invariably within accretionary prisms. Important lateral changes are also observed when comparing the present-day lithospheric configuration of the Dinarides with that of the Hellenides. In the Dinarides the Adriatic lithospheric slab can only be traced down to a depth of c. 200 km. In the Hellenides an over 2100 km long slab is still preserved below the Aegean part of the Hellenides, indicating long-lasting subduction of a coherent lithospheric slab that initiated during the onset of closure of Neotethys in Late Jurassic times. Some 1500 km of this total slab length became subducted after the closure of Neotethys and formation of the Sava-Izmir-Ankara suture zone. Out of this total some 800 km result from plate convergence while some 700 km are a consequence of massive back-arc extension and rollback.

New constraints on the thermochronologic evolution at the boundary between the Eastern and Western Alps - Vorarlberg, Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertrand, Audrey; Pomella, Hannah; Fügenschuh, Bernhard; Zerlauth, Michael; Ortner, Hugo

2013-04-01

The study area in the westernmost part of Austria is marked by the limit between the Western and the Eastern Alps that takes place along the Rhine Valley, south of the Lake Constance. The area is composed, form the north to the south and from lowermost to uppermost structural position, by the European basement together with its autochthonous Mesozoic cover, autochthonous Molasse, subalpine Molasse, the Helvetic and Ultra-Helvetic, the Penninic and the Austroalpine nappes. These units are stacked in a succession of nappes separated by large south-trending overthrusts. This study presenting new apatite and zircon fission track ages, together with a crustal-scale cross-section (Pomella et al., this session) addresses the thermotectonic evolution of this nappe stack. In comparison with similar studies from eastern Switzerland the boundary between Western and Eastern Alps should be enlightened. Zircon fissions track ages from the lower freshwater Molasse reveal different age populations. Since all zircon fission track ages are older than the stratigraphic age this clearly indicates that post-depositional temperatures were well below the zircon partial annealing zone (i.e. below 200 °C) and the different age populations can be attributed to different source areas derived from the coevally forming and eroding alpine chain. Preliminary fission track results on apatite from the lower freshwater Molasse indicate a strong dependence of apatite fission track single-grain ages on their annealing kinetics as inferred from Dpar analyses (Gleadow and Duddy, 1981). F-rich apatites systematically yielded younger ages compared to the Cl-rich grains. The younger ages derived from the F-rich apatites are consistently younger than the stratigraphic age and thus fully annealed while Cl-rich apatites display older ages than the stratigraphic one. The difference in annealing temperatures between Cl- and F-rich apatites (Ravenhurst and Donelick, 1992) thus constrains the maximum temperature to < 100 °C, most likely reached between 20 Ma and 14 Ma by combined sediment and tectonic overburden. References Gleadow, A.J.W., and Duddy, I.R., 1981, A natural long-term annealing experiment for apatite. Nuclear Tracks Radiation Experiments, 5, 169-174. Pomella et al., this session. Alpine nappe stack in western Austria: A crustal-scale cross-section. Ravenhurst, C.E., and Donelick, R.A., 1992. Fission track thermochronology. In Short Course. Handbook on Low Temperature Thermochronology, ed. M. Zentilli & P.H. Reynolds. pp.21-42.

Seismic signature of the Alpine indentation, evidence from the Eastern Alps

PubMed Central

Bianchi, I.; Bokelmann, G.

2014-01-01

The type of collision between the European and the Adriatic plates in the easternmost Alps is one of the most interesting questions regarding the Alpine evolution. Tectonic processes such as compression, escape and uplift are interconnected and shape this area. We can understand these ongoing processes better, if we look for signs of the deformation within the Earth's deep crust of the region. By collecting records from permanent and temporary seismic networks, we assemble a receiver function dataset, and analyze it with the aim of giving new insights on the structure of the lower crust and of the shallow portion of the upper mantle, which are inaccessible to direct observation. Imaging is accomplished by performing common conversion depth stacks along three profiles that crosscut the Eastern Alpine orogen, and allow isolating features consistently persistent in the area. The study shows a moderately flat Moho underlying a seismically anisotropic middle-lower crust from the Southern Alps to the Austroalpine nappes. The spatial progression of anisotropic axes reflects the orientation of the relative motion and of the stress field detected at the surface. These observations suggest that distributed deformation is due to the effect of the Alpine indentation. In the shallow upper mantle right below the Moho interface, a further anisotropic layer is recognized, extended from the Bohemian Massif to the Northern Calcareous Alps. PMID:26525181

Seismic signature of the Alpine indentation, evidence from the Eastern Alps.

PubMed

Bianchi, I; Bokelmann, G

2014-12-01

The type of collision between the European and the Adriatic plates in the easternmost Alps is one of the most interesting questions regarding the Alpine evolution. Tectonic processes such as compression, escape and uplift are interconnected and shape this area. We can understand these ongoing processes better, if we look for signs of the deformation within the Earth's deep crust of the region. By collecting records from permanent and temporary seismic networks, we assemble a receiver function dataset, and analyze it with the aim of giving new insights on the structure of the lower crust and of the shallow portion of the upper mantle, which are inaccessible to direct observation. Imaging is accomplished by performing common conversion depth stacks along three profiles that crosscut the Eastern Alpine orogen, and allow isolating features consistently persistent in the area. The study shows a moderately flat Moho underlying a seismically anisotropic middle-lower crust from the Southern Alps to the Austroalpine nappes. The spatial progression of anisotropic axes reflects the orientation of the relative motion and of the stress field detected at the surface. These observations suggest that distributed deformation is due to the effect of the Alpine indentation. In the shallow upper mantle right below the Moho interface, a further anisotropic layer is recognized, extended from the Bohemian Massif to the Northern Calcareous Alps.

Evolution of the eastern Austrian Molasse Basin: The Lower Miocene (Burdigalian) as a key to the understanding of the Eastern Alps - Molasse Basin system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palzer, Markus; Knierzinger, Wolfgang; Wagreich, Michael; Meszar, Maria E.; Gier, Susanne; Soliman, Ali; -Elena Kallanxhi, Mǎdǎlina

2016-04-01

The eastern Austrian Molasse Basin is situated between the Bohemian Massif, the Waschberg-Zone and the Alps. There, sands of the Lower Miocene (Upper Ottnangian) Traisen Formation represent a clastic interval at the top of pelitic Schlier successions, which is correlated with the global sea level drop Bur3 (Burdigalian). North of the Danube River, the continuation of the Traisen-Formation is overlain by the Karpatian Laa-Formation. Drill cores from OMV-wells predominantly from the continuation of the Traisen Formation in deep parts in the NE of the basin show hundreds of meters of pelites with intersections of sands. Contrary to the exposed, mainly brackish TF, a turbiditic and predominantly fully marine deep-water environment is inferred from the cores. Profiles of carbonate content, XRD, XRF, whole rock chemistry, clay minerals, calcareous nannoplankton and dinoflagellate cysts of 7 wells were investigated representing a NE-SW transect through the LAMB. Based on these data, a new stratigraphy for the Burdigalian distal parts of the LAMB can be defined and correlated with the proximal units. The Traisen Formation and its equivalents are characterized at their base by an increased clastic input in the south and by increasing mica content in the northern parts. The complete interval is characterized by the decreased carbonate content. The XRD data show strongly reduced calcite contents which goe hand in hand with the absence of nannoplankton. Whether the signal is related to a crisis in primary production or to carbonate dissolution remains unclear. The absence of dinoflagellate cysts and the chemical data (reduced B/Al* ratios indicate reduced salinity) are considered as an argument for an environmental crisis. However, the absence of resedimented Cretaceous to Paleocene nannofossils, which usually occur together with the autochthonous NN4-nannofossils, indicates carbonate dissolution. These results enable us to define a basinal interval as equivalent to the proximal Traisen Formation which may serve as a key section for the stratigraphy of the deep basinal part. Sediments of this section were influenced by a low salinity crisis that was caused by the closure of the connection to the Upper Austrian Molasse Basin. This led to a partly or completely isolated basin in Lower Austria with a probably strongly reduced water circulation and strong freshwater influence. The closure is probably connected to the Miocene lateral extrusion of the Alps, the fast uplift of the Northern Calcareous Alps and accelerated sediment input from the south. This isolation may be terminated by the deepening of the Vienna Basin during Karpatian/Badenian times.

High-altitude forest sensitivity to global warming: results from long-term and short-term analyses in the eastern italian alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrer, Marco; Anfodillo, Tommaso; Urbinati, Carlo; Carraro, Vinicio

Dendroecological (long-term) analysis and ecophysiological (short-term) monitoring were used interactively to study the responses of tree-ring growth to climate in timberline mixed forests (consisting of Larix decidua Mill., Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Pinus cembra (L.)) in the Italian Eastern Alps (2000-2100 m a.s.l.). Climate-growth linear response functions (LRF) revealed that warm temperatures in June and July have a positive effect on radial growth whereas precipitation during the vegetation period has no effect. Monitoring of the intra-annual radial growth dynamics using band dendrometers confirmed that the radial growth rate of the three species in June and July was greater when air temperatures were higher. Tree-ring formation lasted about 50-60 days (from mid-June to the beginning of August).

Allostratigraphic approach on the Alpine Lateglacial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monegato, Giovanni; Reitner, Jürgen M.

2017-04-01

The reconstruction of the Alpine deglaciation after the Last Glacial Maximum is the one-of-a-kind chance of understanding glaciers dynamics in a period of climate warming. Long-lasting studies beginning in the 19th Century resulted in the definition of five major phases established on the base of Δ ELA values. However, they have been recently re-discussed on the base of dating results and field evidence. Field based reconstructions in some areas of the Alps (Tyrol, Julian Alps) utilizing allostratigraphy i.e. the use of unconformity-bounded units, provide pinpoint in total to a plausible tripartite subdivision of Lateglacial deposits (Colucci et al., 2014; Bichler et al., 2016; Reitner et al., 2016). From the chronological point no consensus on the start of the Alpine Lateglacial exists: The major Garda and Ticino glaciers persisted until about 17.5 ka (e.g. Ravazzi et al., 2014), whereas the tongue basins and, moreover, even major valleys inside the Alps where ice-free already around 18.5 ka (e.g., Schmidt et al., 2012). For the short phase of ice-decay, as the first expression of activity of rather small local glaciers in contact to dead ice, only luminescence datings are available so far centered around 19 ka. The Gschnitz stadial, at about 16-17 ka, and the Egesen stadial corresponding to the Younger Dryas, are the only two remarkable phases of advance of glacier tongues into the valleys, which stabilized for considerable time. The reconstructions suggest that more effort is needed, in term of sedimentological and (allo-)stratigraphic investigations together with geochronology to understand if this tripartite stratigraphic scheme can be exported in the whole Alpine area, or if stabilization of glacier fronts could have taken place somewhere also due to local mechanisms. References Bichler, M. G., Reindl, M., Reitner, J. M., Drescher-Schneider, R., Wirsig, C., Christl, M., Hajdas, I. & Ivy-Ochs, S., 2016: Landslide deposits as stratigraphical markers for a sequence-based glacial stratigraphy: a case study of a Younger Dryas system in the Eastern Alps. Boreas, 45: 537-551. Colucci, R. R., Monegato, G., Žebre, M. (2014). Glacial and proglacial deposits of the Resia Valley (NE Italy): New insights on the onset and decay of the last alpine glacial maximum in the Julian Alps. Alpine and Mediterranean Quaternary, 27: 85-104. Ravazzi, C., Pini, R., Badino, F., De Amicis, M., Londeix, L., Reimer, P.J. (2014). The latest LGM culmination of the Garda Glacier (Italian Alps) and the onset of glacial termination. Age of glacial collapse and vegetation chronosequence. Quaternary Science Reviews, 105: 26-47. Reitner, J.M., Ivy-Ochs, S., Drescher-Schneider, R., Hajdas, I., Linner, M. (2016). Reconsidering the current stratigraphy of the Alpine Lateglacial: Implications of the sedimentary and morphological record of the Lienz area (Tyrol/Austria). E&G Quaternary Science Journal, 65: 113-144. Schmidt, R., Weckström, K., Lauterbach, S., Tessadri, R., Huber, K. (2012). North Atlantic climate impact on early late-glacial climate oscillations in the south-eastern Alps inferred from a multi-proxy lake sediment record. Journal of Quaternary Science, 27: 40-50.

Tomography images of the Alpine roots and surrounding upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plomerova, Jaroslava; Babuska, Vladislav

2017-04-01

Teleseismic body-wave tomography represents powerful tool to study regional velocity structure of the upper mantle and to image velocity anomalies, such as subducted lithosphere plates in collisional zones. In this contribution, we recapitulate 3D models of the upper mantle beneath the Alps, which developed at a collision zone of the Eurasian and African plates. Seismic tomography studies indicate a leading role of the rigid mantle lithosphere that functioned as a major stress guide during the plate collisions. Interactions of the European lithosphere with several micro-plates in the south resulted in an arcuate shape of this mountain range on the surface and in a complicated geometry of the Alpine subductions in the mantle. Early models with one bended lithosphere root have been replaced with more advanced models showing two separate lithosphere roots beneath the Western and Eastern Alps (Babuska et al., Tectonophysics 1990; Lippitsch et al., JGR 2003). The standard isotropic velocity tomography, based on pre-AlpArray data (the currently performed passive seismic experiment in the Alps and surroundings) images the south-eastward dipping curved slab of the Eurasian lithosphere in the Western Alps. On the contrary, beneath the Eastern Alps the results indicate a very steep northward dipping root that resulted from the collision of the European plate with the Adriatic microplate. Dando et al. (2011) interpret high-velocity heterogeneities at the bottom of their regional tomographic model as a graveyard of old subducted lithospheres. High density of stations, large amount of rays and dense ray-coverage of the volume studied are not the only essential pre-requisites for reliable tomography results. A compromise between the amount of pre-processed data and the high-quality of the tomography input (travel-time residuals) is of the high importance as well. For the first time, the existence of two separate roots beneath the Alps has been revealed from carefully pre-processed, mostly the ISC-bulletin data (Babuska et al., Tectonophysics 1990). Calculated relative travel-time residuals have been assigned to source clusters and filtered relative to the residual mean of each cluster of events. We expect that future 3D studies of the mantle velocities and mantle fabrics with the use of body-wave anisotropic parameters from the AlpArray data will shed a new light on tectonic development of the complex Alpine region and its surroundings.

Preliminary comparative study of middle Anisian vertebrate ichnoassociation from South-Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valdiserri, D.; Todesco, R.; Avanzini, M.

2009-04-01

Anisian vertebrate tracks from the south-eastern Alps are known since the first decades of 1900s (Abel, 1926). The sedimentary units yielding footprints are characterized by the alternation of limestone influenced by terrigenous supply with mere marine and volcanic layers allowing a precise dating. In this study, we compare four different ichnoassociations from three different outcrops in the South-Eastern Alps correlating them chronologically and sedimentologically. They were found to be subsequent in time from Lower Pelsonian (Bad Gfrill-Voltago Conglomerate; Todesco, 2007) through middle Pelsonian (Bad Gfrill- Giovo Formation) (Valdiserri et al., 2006) and basal Illyrian (Piz da Peres- Richthofen Conglomerate; Todesco et al., 2008) to the middle Illyrian (Val Duron-Morbiac Limestone; Avanzini et al., 2007). In all these ichno-associations, Rhynchosauroides, an ichno-genus referable to a lizard - like trackmaker well known in the European Anisian, is dominant. Within this group at least four different morphotypes are known, probably reflecting both intraspecific variation (i.e. sexual dimorphism) and different ichnospecies. Although the Chirotheridae group, referred to Archosaurian trackmakers Synaptichnium is represented in both Pelsonian ichnoassociation of the Bad Gfrill outcrop, while Chirotherium , Isochirotherium and Brachichirotherium are recognized both in Pelsonian and in Illyrian ichnosites with a incremental presence in the Illyrian The ichofamiliae Rotodactylidae und Procolophonidae seem well represented in the Pelsonian strata but absent in the Illyrian ones. The preliminarly comparative analysis of these four correlated ichnosites and the comparision with the yet known ones (Avanzini and Mietto 2008) pointed out the expected predominance of the Lepidosaurian-Archosaurian association typical for the middle Triassic ichnofauna. The incremental presence of the Chirotherian track in Illyrian and the presence of the Procolophonichium just in the Pelsonian ichno-association seem to corroborate the hypothesis of two different ichoassemblages in the late Middle Triassic (Lucas, 2007). Further studies could allow a better understanding of the evolution of the Chirotherian tracks group and the systematics of the Rhynchosauroidae ichnofamily. References Abel, O. 1926. Der erste Fund einer Tetrapodenfährte in den unteren alpinen Trias. Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 7: 22-24. Avanzini, M., Mietto, P. 2008. Lower and Middle Triassic footprint-based Biochronology in the Italian Southern Alps. Oryctos, Vol. 8, 2008: 3-13. Avanzini, M., Wachtler, M., Dellantonio, E. & Todesco, R. 2007. A new Late Anisian vertebrate ichnosite from Dolomites (Val Duron, Val di Fassa). Geoitalia 2007, Abstract Vol. 10.1474/ Epitome 02.1081. Lucas, S. G. 2007. Tetrapod Footprint Biostratigraphy and Biochronology, Ichnos, 14,1:5-38 Todesco, R. 2007. Studio paleontologico delle orme di rettili triassici (Pelsonico) nel Conglomerato di Voltago (Valle di Prissiano, Trentino-Alto Adige). Degree thesis, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Todesco, R.; Wachtler, M; Kustatscher, E. & Avanzini, M. 2008. Preliminary reporton a new vertebrate track and flora site from Piz da Peres (Anisian-Illyrian): Olang Dolomites, Northern Italy. Geo. Alp, 5: 121-137 Valdiserri, D. & Avanzini, M. 2006: A tetrapod ichnoassociation from the Middle Triassic (Anisian, Pelsonian) of Northern Italy. Ichnos, 14: 105-116.

Spodumene bearing pegmatites in the Austroalpine unit (Eastern Alps): Distribution and new geochronological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilickovic, Tanja; Schuster, Ralf; Mali, Heinrich; Petrakakis, Konstantin; Schedl, Albert

2017-04-01

In the Austroalpine unit of the Eastern Alps spodumene bearing pegmatites occur heterogeneously distributed over an E-W distance of more than 400 km. They are usually associated with barren pegmatites which crystallisized in Permian time. There a two schools of thought about the genesis of the spodumene bearing pegmatites: Economic geologists bring forward the argument that these pegmatites only develop by fractionation of granitic parent plutons, whereas metamorphic petrologists consider that the barren pegmatites and even some highly fractionated pegmatites are products of anatexis of metapelitic country rocks. In the first case the virtual absence of co-genetic fertile granites in the Austroalpine units render the model problematic, whereas in the second case the formation of suitable Li-enriched pegmatitic melts is not yet understood. A new understanding of the Austroalpine basement through geological mapping and geochronological and geochemical investigations during the past few years gives the opportunity to reinvestigate this problem: In Permian time the Austroalpine unit was affected by lithospheric extension, causing basaltic underplating, high temperature / low pressure metamorphism and intense magmatic activity. The Permian P-T-t path is characterized by heating at slightly decreasing pressure. In an ongoing project additional spodumene bearing pegmatites have been discovered and some of them show temporal and spatial relations to relatively small leucogranitic bodies. New Sm/Nd data prove a Permian age for spodumene bearing pegmatites and leucogranites supporting a genetic relation with the barren pegmatites. Mapping revealed certain relations of pegmatites and distinct country rocks. Units of migmatitic mica schists with lots of interlayed barren pegmatites represent areas with aborted melt generation. In some places the melts accumulate forming inhomogeneous leucogranitic bodies. Examples are the Martell granite (South Tyrol) as well as leucoganites near to Uttenheim (South Tyrol), Geisrücken near to Judenburg (Styria) and Koralpe near to Deutschlandsberg (Styria). Areas with spodumene bearing pegmatites and other well fractionated pegmatites represent structurally higher levels. Spodumene bearing pegmatites mainly occur within the Koralpe-Wölz Nappe System. The biggest are situated in the Hohenwart region/Niedere Tauern (Styria), Falkenbergzug near Judenburg (Styria), Lachtal region/Niedere Tauern (Styria), Weinebene/Koralpe (Carinthia) and in the Defreggen Valley (East-Tyrol). Further investigations will deal with the processes of melt production, melt accumulation, melt fractionation and the regional fractionation trends within pegmatite swarms.

Late Miocene remagnetization within the internal sector of the Northern Apennines, Italy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aiello, I.W.; Hagstrum, J.T.; Principi, G.

2004-01-01

Paleomagnetic and geologic evidence indicates that Upper Jurassic radiolarian cherts of both the Tuscan Cherts Formation (continental margin, Tuscan Units) and the Monte Alpe Cherts Formation (oceanic crust, Ligurian Units) were remagnetized during Miocene orogenesis of the Northern Apennines of Italy. Characteristic overprint magnetizations with reversed polarities have been found over a large area within the internal sector of the Northern Apennines, including eastern Liguria, Elba Island and the Thyrrenian margin, and west of the Middle Tuscan Ridge. The reversed-polarity overprint (average direction: D=177??, I=-52??, ??95=15??) was most likely acquired during Late Miocene uplift and denudation of the orogenic chain, and thermochemical remagnetization was a probable consequence of increased circulation of orogenic fluids. Similarly, mostly reversed-polarity directions of magnetization have been found by other workers in overlying post-orogenic Messinian sediments (D=177??, I=-57??, ??95=3??), which show little counterclockwise (CCW) vertical-axis rotation with respect to stable Europe (-8??5??). The Monte Alpe Cherts sampled at sites in the external sector of the Northern Apennines, close to major tectonic features, have normal- polarity overprint directions with in situ W-SW declinations. Since the overlying post-orogenic Messinian sediments have not been substantially rotated about vertical axes, the evidence points to an earlier,pre-Late Miocene remagnetization in the external parts of the orogenic chain. ?? 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

European springtime temperature synchronises ibex horn growth across the eastern Swiss Alps

PubMed Central

Büntgen, Ulf; Liebhold, Andrew; Jenny, Hannes; Mysterud, Atle; Egli, Simon; Nievergelt, Daniel; Stenseth, Nils C; Bollmann, Kurt

2014-01-01

Direct effects of climate change on animal physiology, and indirect impacts from disruption of seasonal synchrony and breakdown of trophic interactions are particularly severe in Arctic and Alpine ecosystems. Unravelling biotic from abiotic drivers, however, remains challenging because high-resolution animal population data are often limited in space and time. Here, we show that variation in annual horn growth (an indirect proxy for individual performance) of 8043 male Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) over the past four decades is well synchronised among eight disjunct colonies in the eastern Swiss Alps. Elevated March to May temperatures, causing premature melting of Alpine snowcover, earlier plant phenology and subsequent improvement of ibex food resources, fuelled annual horn growth. These results reveal dependency of local trophic interactions on large-scale climate dynamics, and provide evidence that declining herbivore performance is not a universal response to global warming even for high-altitude populations that are also harvested. PMID:24341995

The topography of a continental indenter: The interplay between crustal deformation, erosion, and base level changes in the eastern Southern Alps

PubMed Central

Heberer, B.; Prasicek, G.; Neubauer, F.; Hergarten, S.

2017-01-01

Abstract The topography of the eastern Southern Alps (ESA) reflects indenter tectonics causing crustal shortening, surface uplift, and erosional response. Fluvial drainages were perturbed by Pleistocene glaciations that locally excavated alpine valleys. The Late Miocene desiccation of the Mediterranean Sea and the uplift of the northern Molasse Basin led to significant base level changes in the far field of the ESA and the Eastern Alps (EA), respectively. Among this multitude of mechanisms, the processes that dominate the current topographic evolution of the ESA and the ESA‐EA drainage divide have not been identified. We demonstrate the expected topographic effects of each mechanism in a one‐dimensional model and compare them with observed channel metrics. We find that the normalized steepness index increases with uplift rate and declines from the indenter tip in the northwest to the foreland basin in the southeast. The number and amplitude of knickpoints and the distortion in longitudinal channel profiles similarly decrease toward the east. Changes in slope of χ‐transformed channel profiles coincide spatially with the Valsugana‐Fella fault linking crustal stacking and uplift induced by indenter tectonics with topographic evolution. Gradients in χ across the ESA‐EA drainage divide imply an ongoing, north directed shift of the Danube‐ESA watershed that is most likely driven by a base level rise in the northern Molasse basin. We conclude that the regional uplift pattern controls the geometry of ESA‐EA channels, while base level changes in the far field control the overall architecture of the orogen by drainage divide migration. PMID:28344912

The topography of a continental indenter: The interplay between crustal deformation, erosion, and base level changes in the eastern Southern Alps.

PubMed

Robl, J; Heberer, B; Prasicek, G; Neubauer, F; Hergarten, S

2017-01-01

The topography of the eastern Southern Alps (ESA) reflects indenter tectonics causing crustal shortening, surface uplift, and erosional response. Fluvial drainages were perturbed by Pleistocene glaciations that locally excavated alpine valleys. The Late Miocene desiccation of the Mediterranean Sea and the uplift of the northern Molasse Basin led to significant base level changes in the far field of the ESA and the Eastern Alps (EA), respectively. Among this multitude of mechanisms, the processes that dominate the current topographic evolution of the ESA and the ESA-EA drainage divide have not been identified. We demonstrate the expected topographic effects of each mechanism in a one-dimensional model and compare them with observed channel metrics. We find that the normalized steepness index increases with uplift rate and declines from the indenter tip in the northwest to the foreland basin in the southeast. The number and amplitude of knickpoints and the distortion in longitudinal channel profiles similarly decrease toward the east. Changes in slope of χ -transformed channel profiles coincide spatially with the Valsugana-Fella fault linking crustal stacking and uplift induced by indenter tectonics with topographic evolution. Gradients in χ across the ESA-EA drainage divide imply an ongoing, north directed shift of the Danube-ESA watershed that is most likely driven by a base level rise in the northern Molasse basin. We conclude that the regional uplift pattern controls the geometry of ESA-EA channels, while base level changes in the far field control the overall architecture of the orogen by drainage divide migration.

Holocene temperature variations at a high-altitude site in the Eastern Alps: a chironomid record from Schwarzsee ob Sölden, Austria

PubMed Central

Ilyashuk, Elena A.; Koinig, Karin A.; Heiri, Oliver; Ilyashuk, Boris P.; Psenner, Roland

2011-01-01

Few well-dated, quantitative Holocene temperature reconstructions exist from high-altitude sites in the Central Eastern Alps. Here, we present a chironomid-based quantitative reconstruction of mean July air temperatures (TJuly) throughout the Holocene for a remote high-mountain lake, Schwarzsee ob Sölden, situated above the treeline at 2796 m a.s.l. in the Austrian Alps. Applying a chironomid-temperature inference model developed from lakes of the Alpine region to a high-resolution chironomid record from the lake provides evidence for early Holocene (ca 10000–8600 cal yr BP) TJuly of up to 8.5 °C, i.e. >4 °C above the modern (1977–2006) mean July temperature. The reconstruction reveals the so-called ‘8.2-ka cold event’ centered at ca 8250–8000 cal yr BP with temperatures ca 3 °C below the early-Holocene thermal maximum. Rather warm (ca 6 °C) and productive conditions prevailed during ca 7900–4500 cal yr BP. The chironomid record suggests a climate transition between ca 5200 and 4500 cal yr BP to cooler TJuly. A distinct cooling trend is evident from ca 4500 until ca 2500 cal yr BP. Thereafter, the study site experienced its coldest conditions (around 4 °C or less) throughout the rest of the Holocene, with the exception of the warming trend during the late 20th century. Beside other factors, the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation seems to be the major driving force for the long-term trends in TJuly at high altitudes in the Eastern Alps. Due to the extreme location of the lake and the limited temperature range represented by the applied calibration data set, the chironomid-based temperature reconstruction fails to track phases of the late-Holocene climatic history with TJuly cooler than 4 °C. Further chironomid-based palaeoclimate model and down-core studies are required to address this problem, provide more realistic TJuly estimates from undisturbed high-altitude lakes in the Alps, and extract a reliable regional temperature signal. PMID:21317974

Pre-Alpine evolution of the Seckau Complex (Austroalpine basement/Eastern Alps): Constraints from in-situ LA-ICP-MS Usbnd Pb zircon geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandl, Magdalena; Kurz, Walter; Hauzenberger, Christoph; Fritz, Harald; Klötzli, Urs; Schuster, Ralf

2018-01-01

The Variscan European Belt is a complex orogen with its southern margin partly obscured by Alpine tectonics and metamorphism. We present a study of one of the units, the Seckau Complex, that constitute the southern part of the Variscan European Belt in the Eastern Alps in order to clarify its origin, age and lithostratigraphy. The magmatic and geochronological evolution of this Complex in the northwestern part of the Seckau Nappe (as part of the Austroalpine Silvretta-Seckau Nappe System) was investigated by zircon Usbnd Pb dating of paragneisses and metagranitoids coupled with petrological and geochemical data. This reveals the distinction of three newly defined lithostratigraphic/lithodemic sub-units: (1) Glaneck Metamorphic Suite, (2) Hochreichart Plutonic Suite and (3) Hintertal Plutonic Suite. The Glaneck Metamorphic Suite is mainly composed of fine-grained paragneisses that yield Usbnd Pb zircon ages in the range between 2.7 Ga and 2.0 Ga, as well as concordia ages from 572 ± 7 Ma to 559 ± 11 Ma. All of these ages are interpreted as detrital zircon ages originating from an igneous source. The paragneisses are the host rock for the large volumes of metagranitoids of the Hochreichart Plutonic Suite and the Hintertal Plutonic Suite. The Hochreichart Plutonic Suite comprises highly fractionated melts with mainly S-type characteristics and late Cambrian to Early Ordovician Usbnd Pb zircon ages (508 ± 9 Ma to 486 ± 9 Ma), interpreted as magmatic protolith ages. The Hintertal Plutonic Suite is composed of metagranitoids with Late Devonian to early Carboniferous (365 ± 11 Ma and 331 ± 10 Ma) protolith ages, that intruded during an early phase of the Variscan tectonometamorphic event. The metagranitoids of the Hintertal Plutonic Suites define a magmatic fractionation trend, seen in variable Rb/Sr ratios. On this base they can be further subdivided into (a) the Griessstein Pluton characterized by S-type metagranitoids and (b) the Pletzen Pluton distinguished by intermediate to acidic metagranitoids with I-type affinity. The detrital zircon age spectra suggest a Neoproterozoic ancestry of the Glaneck Metamorphic Suite, which was located west of the Arabian Nubian Shield, probably next to the Trans-Saharan Belt. The early Paleozoic evolution of the recent Seckau Complex shows similarities to basement units of the Southalpine Unit, parts of the Austroalpine Unit and the Tatric and Veporic units of the Central Western Carpathians.

The Ortles ice cores: uncovering an extended climate archive from the Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreossi, Giuliano; Barbante, Carlo; Bertò, Michele; Carturan, Luca; De Blasi, Fabrizio; Gabrieli, Jacopo; Gabrielli, Paolo; Seppi, Roberto; Spolaor, Andrea; Stenni, Barbara; Zanoner, Thomas

2017-04-01

During the last half century, oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope content of ice cores has been extensively used for air temperature reconstructions. The most suitable glaciers of the Alpine area, most exclusively in the Western Alps, have been utilized for ice coring for more than four decades. The paleoclimatic potential of the Eastern Alps is still largely unexploited and was scarcely utilized in the past mainly because of the lower elevation (compared to Western Alps) and hence the difficulty to find glaciers in cold conditions. The warming temperature trend appears to be particularly pronounced in the Alps, threatening the preservation of the glaciated areas and creating a sense of urgency in retrieving climatic archives before it is too late. In autumn 2011, four deep cores were drilled on Mt Ortles, South Tyrol, Italy, at 3859 m a.s.l. An extensive reconstructed temperature record for the Ortles summit, based on the surrounding meteorological station data, is available for the last 150 years, while an automatic weather station had been operating from 2011 to 2015 in proximity of the drilling site. The new ice core chronology, based on 210Pb, tritium, beta emissions analysis and 14C measurements of the particulate organic carbon, indicates that the bottom ice is 7000 years old, making it the second most extended glaciological archive ever retrieved in the Alps. The three equally long ice cores have been analyzed for oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes throughout their length, and the goal is to create an Ortles stacked record for d18O and dD and compare the isotopic data to instrumental temperatures and to other Alpine records. Since 2008, several snow pits were dug in proximity of the drilling site during summer, when the temperature can often exceed the melting point. The isotopic profiles of the 2015 snow pit, dug at the end of an exceptionally warm summer, show how the isotope signal is now affected by the post-depositional processes that have occurred during that summer.

Urbanization and depopulation in the Alps.

PubMed

Batzing, W; Perlik, M; Dekleva, M

1996-11-01

Demographic developments in the European Alpine region are analyzed over the period 1870-1990. The region is defined as including parts of Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland, and Slovenia. "Studies of growth, stagnation, decline, commune size, and altitude in almost 6,000 communes are presented on three colored maps.... It is apparent that two highly divergent processes are at work and, accordingly, statistical mean values reveal little of importance. Approximately one-half of Alpine Europe is undergoing general economic and demographic growth and has experienced significant increase in population since the end of the agricultural era. This development has taken place primarily in low-lying valleys and basins and in areas bordering the Alps that have good access to transport routes. Tourism is not as widespread as generally assumed and is usually characterized by a punctate pattern. Only in the western part of the Eastern Alps does tourism account for widespread population growth at higher altitudes; elsewhere the Alps have not been affected by modern development and the economy and population are declining, with some areas in danger of becoming completely abandoned. The results challenge the earlier concept of the Alps as a rural region, once populated by peasants, where tourism now plays a major role." (EXCERPT)

Preserved organic matter in the Serpentinized Ocean-Continent Transition of Alpine Tethys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mateeva, T.; Wolff, G. A.; Kusznir, N.; Manatschal, G.; Wheeler, J.

2017-12-01

Serpentinization occurs at slow-spreading ocean ridges and magma-poor rifted continental margins. At modern hydrothermal vents, serpentinization has been observed to support hydrogen-driven microbial environments including methanotrophic biosystems. An important question is: "Are such bio-systems locally restricted to hydrothermal vents or are they more pervasive, being linked with the exhumation of serpentinized mantle at the seafloor?" Fieldwork sampling of km scale exposures of orogenically exhumed serpentinized mantle in the Alps allows 3D mantle sampling that is not possible at ocean ridges and provides an opportunity to investigate the organic matter in an ophiolite sequence relative to the seafloor. Samples from the fossil Tethyan OCT, exhumed during Alpine collisional orogeny, have been examined for the presence or absence of biomarkers typical of methanotrophy within serpentinized exhumed mantle. Samples from the Totalp unit, Tasna nappe and Platta unit of the Eastern Swiss Alps and Chenaillet in the Western Alps from the Tethyan magma-poor OCT were selected for analysis because they have little Alpine deformation and underwent only low-grade Alpine metamorphism. Hand specimens and cores taken from these locations have been analysed to search for the presence or absence of biomarkers in the serpentinite and its overlying lithologies. Thin sections of samples from these OCT locations reveal multiple serpentinization events and calcification phases. All the lithologies sampled show the presence of hydrocarbons such as n-alkanes, low molecular weight polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, of mixed petrogenic and pyrogenic source), hopanes, steranes (of marine origin), and branched alkanes (pristane and phytane, non-specific marine origin). The identifiable biomarkers and the isotopic data are consistent with organic matter of a marine origin and do not provide any evidence for a methanotrophic bio-system. It is noteworthy that basement mantle rocks still contain marine organic matter 160My after their formation at a rifted margin despite having experienced Alpine obduction.

Constraining the near-surface response to lithospheric reorientation: Structural thermochronology along the TRANSALP geophysical transect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glotzbach, Christoph; Büttner, Lukas; Ehlers, Todd

2017-04-01

Tomographic analyses of the lithosphere structure underneath the Alps suggest a complex geodynamic history (e.g. Lippitsch et al. 2003), indicating, among other things, switches in the direction of subduction. A subduction polarity switch is proposed to have occurred in Miocene times between the Central and Eastern Alps (e.g. Lippitsch et al. 2003; Handy et al. 2015). In the Western and Central Alps SE-directed subduction of European continental lithosphere occurs, whereas NW-directed subduction of Adriatic lithosphere occurs further east (e.g. Kissling et al. 2006). The subducted slab steepens at the transition to the Eastern Alps, roughly at the position of the TRANSALP geophysical profile (S. Germany to N. Italy). This lithospheric reorientation was pre-dated by slab breakoff and also involves the delamination of the lower lithosphere, both processes producing distinct long-wavelength deformation (e.g. Gerya et al. 2004). Thermochronological data can be used to study the surface response to such a long-wavelength deformation. We present new apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He ages of 23 samples collected along 210 km of the TRANSALP profile. The samples were collected along a balanced cross section the TRANSALP profile (e.g. Lüschen et al. 2004) across individual structures that can be tied to deeper, seismically imaged, structures. The thermochronometer ages provide a record of exhumation related to both crustal shortening and post deformation erosional exhumation. Interpretation of the data is in progress and being used to discriminate between competing kinematic/geometric models, and the timing of major fault activity. Variations in exhumation along the section will also unravel the timing and shape of possible long-wavelength rock uplift event(s). References Gerya, T.V., Yuen, D.A., Maresch, W.V. 2004. Thermomechanical modelling of slab detachment. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 226, 101-116. Handy, M.R., Ustaszewski, K., Kissling, E. 2015. Reconstructing the Alps-Carpathians-Dinarides as a key to understanding switches in subduction polarity, slab gaps and surface motion. Int. J. Earth Sci. 104, 1-26. Kissling, E., Schmid, S.M., Lippitsch, R., Ansorge, J., Fügenschuh, B. 2006. Lithosphere structure and tectonic evolution of the Alpine arc: new evidence from high-resolution teleseismic tomography. In: Gee, D.G., Stephenson, R.A. (eds) European Lithosphere Dynamics. Geol. Soc. London Mem. 32, 129-145. Lippitsch, R., Kissling, E., Ansorge, J. 2003. Upper mantle structure beneath the Alpine orogen from high-resolution teleseismic tomography. J. Geophys. Res. 108, 2376, doi:10.1029/2002JB002016. Lüschen, E., Lammerer, B., Gebrande, H., Millahn, K., Nicolich, R., TRANSALP Working Group 2004. Orogenic structure of the Eastern Alps, Europe, from TRANSALP deep seismic reflection profiling. Tectonophysics 388, 85-102.

Changing patterns of exhumation and denudation in front of an advancing crustal indenter, Tauern Window (Eastern Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favaro, S.; Handy, M. R.; Scharf, A.; Schuster, R.

2017-06-01

The changing shape of indenting crustal blocks during northward motion of the Adriatic microplate induced migration of Miocene doming and orogen-parallel extension of orogenic crust in the Tauern Window. New structural and kinematic data indicate that initial shortening of the Penninic nappe pile in the Tauern Window by upright folding and strike-slip faulting was transitional to coeval north-south shortening and east-west extension; the latter was accommodated by normal faulting at the eastern and western margins of the window. Retrodeforming these post-nappe structures in map view yields a map-view reconstruction of the orogenic crust back to 30 Ma, including the onset of pronounced indentation at 21 Ma. This model supports the notion that indentation involved approximately equal amounts of north-south shortening and orogen-parallel stretching and extrusion toward the Pannonian Basin, as measured from the indenter tip to the European foreland in the north and Austroalpine units in the east. Comparison of areal denudation of the orogenic crust before and after indentation indicates that erosion associated with upright folding was the primary agent of denudation, whereas extensional unroofing and limited erosion along normal faults at the eastern and western ends of the Tauern Window accounted for only about a third of the total denudation.

European springtime temperature synchronises ibex horn growth across the eastern Swiss Alps.

PubMed

Büntgen, Ulf; Liebhold, Andrew; Jenny, Hannes; Mysterud, Atle; Egli, Simon; Nievergelt, Daniel; Stenseth, Nils C; Bollmann, Kurt

2014-03-01

Direct effects of climate change on animal physiology, and indirect impacts from disruption of seasonal synchrony and breakdown of trophic interactions are particularly severe in Arctic and Alpine ecosystems. Unravelling biotic from abiotic drivers, however, remains challenging because high-resolution animal population data are often limited in space and time. Here, we show that variation in annual horn growth (an indirect proxy for individual performance) of 8043 male Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) over the past four decades is well synchronised among eight disjunct colonies in the eastern Swiss Alps. Elevated March to May temperatures, causing premature melting of Alpine snowcover, earlier plant phenology and subsequent improvement of ibex food resources, fuelled annual horn growth. These results reveal dependency of local trophic interactions on large-scale climate dynamics, and provide evidence that declining herbivore performance is not a universal response to global warming even for high-altitude populations that are also harvested. © 2013 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and CNRS.

Glacial isostatic uplift of the European Alps

PubMed Central

Mey, Jürgen; Scherler, Dirk; Wickert, Andrew D.; Egholm, David L.; Tesauro, Magdala; Schildgen, Taylor F.; Strecker, Manfred R.

2016-01-01

Following the last glacial maximum (LGM), the demise of continental ice sheets induced crustal rebound in tectonically stable regions of North America and Scandinavia that is still ongoing. Unlike the ice sheets, the Alpine ice cap developed in an orogen where the measured uplift is potentially attributed to tectonic shortening, lithospheric delamination and unloading due to deglaciation and erosion. Here we show that ∼90% of the geodetically measured rock uplift in the Alps can be explained by the Earth’s viscoelastic response to LGM deglaciation. We modelled rock uplift by reconstructing the Alpine ice cap, while accounting for postglacial erosion, sediment deposition and spatial variations in lithospheric rigidity. Clusters of excessive uplift in the Rhône Valley and in the Eastern Alps delineate regions potentially affected by mantle processes, crustal heterogeneity and active tectonics. Our study shows that even small LGM ice caps can dominate present-day rock uplift in tectonically active regions. PMID:27830704

Glacial isostatic uplift of the European Alps.

PubMed

Mey, Jürgen; Scherler, Dirk; Wickert, Andrew D; Egholm, David L; Tesauro, Magdala; Schildgen, Taylor F; Strecker, Manfred R

2016-11-10

Following the last glacial maximum (LGM), the demise of continental ice sheets induced crustal rebound in tectonically stable regions of North America and Scandinavia that is still ongoing. Unlike the ice sheets, the Alpine ice cap developed in an orogen where the measured uplift is potentially attributed to tectonic shortening, lithospheric delamination and unloading due to deglaciation and erosion. Here we show that ∼90% of the geodetically measured rock uplift in the Alps can be explained by the Earth's viscoelastic response to LGM deglaciation. We modelled rock uplift by reconstructing the Alpine ice cap, while accounting for postglacial erosion, sediment deposition and spatial variations in lithospheric rigidity. Clusters of excessive uplift in the Rhône Valley and in the Eastern Alps delineate regions potentially affected by mantle processes, crustal heterogeneity and active tectonics. Our study shows that even small LGM ice caps can dominate present-day rock uplift in tectonically active regions.

Palinspastic reconstruction of the Alpine thrust belt at the Alpine-Carpathian transition - A geological Sudoku

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beidinger, A.; Decker, K.; Zamolyi, A.; Hölzel, M.; Hoprich, M.; Strauss, P.

2009-04-01

The palinspastic reconstruction of the Austroalpine thrust belt is part of the project Karpatian Tectonics, which is funded by OMV Austria. The objective is to reconstruct the evolution of the thrust belt through the Early to Middle Miocene in order to obtain information on the palaeogeographic position of the Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA) in the region of the present Vienna Basin. A particular goal of the study is to constrain the position of reservoir rocks within the Rhenodanubic Flysch units and the NCA with respect to the autochthonous Malmian source rocks overlying the European basement below the Alpine-Carpathian thrust wedge, and to constrain the burial history of these source rocks. Reconstruction uses regional 2D seismic lines crossing from the European foreland into the fold-thrust belt, 3D seismic data covering the external thrust sheets, and lithostratigraphic data from a total of 51 selected wells, which were drilled and provided by OMV Austria. The main criterion, whether a well was suitable for palinspastic reconstruction or not, was its penetration of Alpine thrust sheets down to the Autochthonous Molasse of the foreland. Additional wells, which do not penetrate the entire Alpine thrust complex but include the Allochthonous Molasse or the external Alpine-Carpathian nappes (Waschberg and Roseldorf thrust unit, Rhenodanubic Flysch nappes) in their well path, were also taken into account. The well data in particular comprise stratigraphic information on the youngest overthrust sediments of the different thrust units and the underlying Autochthonous foreland Molasse. These data allow constraining the timing of thrust events in the allochthonous thrust units and overthrusting of the Autochthonous Molasse. In the particular case of overthrust Autochthonous Molasse, additionally to the timing of overthrusting, which can be derived from the youngest overthrust sediments, the palaeogeographic position of the Alpine Carpathian thrust front could directly be inferred from well data for the specific time period. By further utilization of geological maps, geological cross sections and two regional c. 80 km long composite 2D seismic sections through the external Alpine thrusts, the positions of major thrusts could be approximated for five time slices. This procedure was applied for the front of the allochthonous Molasse units, the floor thrust of the Roseldorf thrust unit, the Waschberg thrust unit and the frontal thrusts of the Rhenodanubic Flysch and the NCA. In addition, several out-of-sequence thrusts within the Waschberg unit, the Molasse unit, the Rhenodanubic Flysch and the Calcareous Alps (floor thrust of the NCA and two internal thrusts) were taken into account. The reconstruction results in 5 palinspastic maps for the time slices early Egerian (25 Ma), early Eggenburgian (20 Ma), Ottnangian (17.5 Ma), Lower Karpatian (16.5 Ma) and the Karpatian/ Badenian stage boundary (16 Ma). Convergence rates, which were calculated for the four intervening time intervals, range from about 3 mm/yr to 5 mm/yr. These values compare well with estimated convergence rates reconstructed for the Miocene in the western Eastern Alps (Schmid et al., 1996), as well as with plate tectonic constraints on Tertiary convergence rates (Dewey et al., 1989). Dewey, J., Helman, M.L., Turco, E., Hutton, D.H.W.&Knott, S.D., 1989. Kinematics of the western Mediterranean, in: N.P. Coward, D. Dietrich & R.G. Park (eds.), Alpine Tectonics, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., 45: 265-283. Schmid, S.M., Pfiffner, O.A., Frotzheim, N., Schönborn, G. & Kissling, E., 1996. Geophysical-geological transect and tectonic evolution of the Swiss-Italian Alps. Tectonics, 15: 1036-1064.

Quantifying the Eocene to Pleistocene topographic evolution of the southwestern Alps, France and Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fauquette, Séverine; Bernet, Matthias; Suc, Jean-Pierre; Grosjean, Anne-Sabine; Guillot, Stéphane; van der Beek, Peter; Jourdan, Sébastien; Popescu, Speranta-Maria; Jiménez-Moreno, Gonzalo; Bertini, Adele; Pittet, Bernard; Tricart, Pierre; Dumont, Thierry; Schwartz, Stéphane; Zheng, Zhuo; Roche, Emile; Pavia, Giulio; Gardien, Véronique

2015-02-01

We evaluate the topographic evolution of the southwestern Alps using Eocene to Pleistocene pollen data combined with existing sedimentological, petrographic and detrital geo- and thermochronological data. We report 32 new pollen analyses from 10 sites completed by an existing dataset of 83 samples from 14 localities situated across the southwestern Alps, including both the pro- and the retro-foreland basins. The presence of microthermic tree pollen (mainly Abies, Picea) indicates that this part of the mountain belt attained elevations over 1900 m as early as the Oligocene. Inferred rapid surface uplift during the mid-Oligocene coincided with a previously documented brief phase of rapid erosional exhumation, when maximum erosion rates may have reached values of up to 1.5-2 km/Myr. Slower long-term average exhumation rates of ∼0.3 km/Myr since the Late Oligocene helped maintaining the high Alpine topography of the southwestern Alps until today. The relative abundances of meso-microthermic tree pollen (Cathaya, Cedrus and Tsuga) and microthermic tree pollen (Abies, Picea) in the pro- and retro-foreland basin deposits, indicate that the present-day asymmetric topography, with a relatively gentle western flank and steeper eastern flank, was established early in the southwestern Alps, at least since the Early Miocene, and possibly since the Oligocene or Late Eocene. Therefore, the high topography and asymmetric morphology of this part of the Alps has been maintained throughout the past ∼30 Ma.

Lichenized and lichenicolous fungi from the valley ‘Ochsental’ (Eastern Alps, Vorarlberg, Austria)

PubMed Central

Bilovitz, Peter Othmar; Mayrhofer, Helmut

2016-01-01

A list of 100 lichen species and 4 lichenicolous fungi from the valley ‘Ochsental’ is presented. Lecidea laboriosa is new to Austria. Lecanora swartzii, Orphniospora moriopsis, Protothelenella corrosa and the lichenicolous fungus Cercidospora stereocaulorum are new to the province of Vorarlberg. PMID:26869748

Antigenic Determinants of Alpha-Like Proteins of Streptococcus agalactiae

PubMed Central

Maeland, Johan A.; Bevanger, Lars; Lyng, Randi Valsoe

2004-01-01

The majority of group B streptococcus (GBS) isolates express one or more of a family of surface-anchored proteins that vary by strain and that form ladder-like patterns on Western blotting due to large repeat units. These proteins, which are important as GBS serotype markers and as inducers of protective antibodies, include the alpha C (Cα) and R4 proteins and the recently described alpha-like protein 2 (Alp2), encoded by alp2, and Alp3, encoded by alp3. In this study, we examined antigenic determinants possessed by Alp2 and Alp3 by testing of antibodies raised in rabbits, mainly by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and an ELISA absorption test. The results showed that Alp2 and Alp3 shared an antigenic determinant, which may be a unique immunological marker of the Alp variants of GBS proteins. Alp2, in addition, possessed an antigenic determinant which showed specificity for Alp2 and a third determinant which showed serological cross-reactivity with Cα. Alp3, in addition to the determinant common to Alp2 and Alp3, harbored an antigenic site which also was present in the R4 protein, whereas no Alp3-specific antigenic site was detected. These ELISA-based results were confirmed by Western blotting and a fluorescent-antibody test. The results are consistent with highly complex antigenic structures of the alpha-like proteins in a fashion which is in agreement with the recently described structural mosaicism of the alp2 and alp3 genes. The results are expected to influence GBS serotyping, immunoprotection studies, and GBS vaccine developments. PMID:15539502

Fi Investigations On Hp-Rocks From The Lower Engadine Window New Insights On Its Late Tectono-Metamorphic Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertle, R. J.; Götzinger, M. A.; Koller, F.

2003-04-01

Fluid inclusions studies in metamorphic rocks allow to reconstruct not only the chemistry of the fluids enabling and/or supporting metamorphic reactions but also the late metamorphic evolution of orogenesis. Therefore late, discordant quarz-calcite veins were investigated using FI-techniques. The Engadine Window which is exposed at the Swiss-Austrian-border exposes the penninic units of the Western Alps as a tectonic window within the Austroalpine nappes of the Eastern Alps. The nappes of the Engadine window underwent metamorphism and deformation during Tertiary times (THÖNI 1981, BERTLE 2000). The highest unit (Fimber unit) and the core of the window (= Zone of Pfunds) suffered HP-LT-metamorphism. P-T-conditions for parts of the Zone of Pfunds at the region of Piz Mundin are at 13-15 kbar at 380^oC (BOUSQUET et al. 2002) indicated by the occurrence of carpholite and glaucophane. The late metamorphic history is not very well constrained. There exist only a few FI-data published in an abstract by STÖCKHERT et al. 1990 and some unpublished data in RING 1989. During the ongoing mapping campaign of the first author samples from the Fimber unit and the Zone of Pfunds were collected and investigated using a LINKHAM freezing-cooling-stage. The investigated veins are discordant in respect to the main-foliation of the rocks and show nice cristalls of quarz, calcite and sometimes feldspar (adularia). Structural data implie that the investigated veins correspond to a set of ac-joints that correlate to the late updoming of the large "Engadiner Gewölbe" (Engadin anticlinal structure, MATTMÜLLER 1996). All investigated veins (from all tectonic units) show the same relationship to the anticlinal structure. FI-investigations show, that a large amount of the primary FI are decrepitated, however it was possible to find enough to provide a serious statistical data set. FI from Piz Mundin in the core of the Engadine window exhibit at the base of the vein quarz at the contact to the host rock (blueschist) epidote-clinozoisite cristalls. Futheron amphibole is visible. It is common at the base of the vein quarz and decreases towards the middle of the vein. FI are H2O-rich and indicate high pressure of trapping. Quarzes from the upper most part of the Zone of Pfunds from S of Zeblasjoch (W of Samnaun Dorf) show two main groups of primary FI which could be differentiated at room temperature: homogenous FI and such with a bubble. All FI were frozen at max. temperatures of ca. -56 ^oC. Bigger FI show cracking due to cristallisation pressure (build up of "wings"), the cracks however closed again during heating, so that the FI remained closed. Initial melting started between -20 ^oC (first recristallisation signs) and -9 ^oC, final melting was observable at -1 ^oC to 0 ^oC. Then the FI was a.) homogenous or b.) showed a bubble. Homogenisation Temp. of the inclusions with bubble were in the range of 70 to 150 ^oC , most of them between 70 and 80 ^oC and 110 - 125 ^oC. The data indicate a more or less pure H_2O-system for the FI under high pressure. Assuming a cristallisation temperature of the cristalls of about 200 to 250 ^oC and a density of the FI between 0,97 and 1,0 g/cm^3 pressures of 2,5 to 4,5 Kbar are indicated. The same P-T-conditions (same chemistry and melting & homog. Temp.) could be derived from FI in quarz from the Salaaser Kopf (Idalpe) for the late metamorphic evolution of the Fimber unit, indicating that the late metamorphic history of both units is the same. It is concluded that opening of the veins and first cristallisation of vein quarz corresponds to the first signs of updoming of the Engadine anticlinal structure. Updoming of the anticline started when the whole nappe stack was covered by the Austroalpine nappes. Therefore FI show such high pressures for trapping of the fluid. Acknowledgements: Data partly result from FWF-project P. 15278 "Bündnerschieferakkretion in the westlichen Ostalpen". Financal support is greatly acknowledged. References: BERTLE, R. J. 2000: Zur Geologie und Geochronologie um Alp Trida (Samnaun/Schweiz) einschließlich ingenieurgeologischer Fragen der Gebirgsauflösung und des Permafrosts. - Unpubl. Msc-Thesis. Univ. Wien, 395 S. BOUSQUET, R., GOFFÉ, B., VIDAL, O., OBERHÄNSLI, R. & PATRIAT, M. 2002: The tectono-metamorphic history of the Valaisan domain from the Western to the Central Alps: new constraints on the evolution of the Alps. - Geol. Soc. America Bull., 114/2, S. 207-225. KÜSTER, M. &STÖCKHERT, B. 1997: Density changes of fluid inclusions in high-pressure low-temperature metamorphic rocks from Crete: A thermobarometric approach based on the creep strength of the host minerals. Lithos, 41, S. 151-167. MATTMÜLLER, C. R. 1996: Geometrische Untersuchung des Inntalgewölbes. - Jahrb. Geol. B.-A., 139/1, S. 45-69, Wien 1996. RING, U. 1989: Tectonogenesis of the Penninic/Austroalpine Boundary Zone: The Arosa Zone (Grisons Rätikon area, Swiss-Austrian Alps). - Unpubl. Phd.-Thesis., 177 p., Tübingen. STOECKHERT, B., RÖSSNER, G., KÜSTER, M., HEIDER, M., GUNDLACH, K. &RICHTER, D.K. 1990: High-Pressure Metamorphism of the Mesozoic Sediments in the Lower Engadine Window, Eastern Alps. - Terra Abstracts, 2, S. 34, 1990. THÖNI, M. 1981: Degree and Evolution of the Alpine Metamorphism in the Austroalpine Unit W of the Hohe Tauern in the light of K/Ar and Rb/Sr Age Determinations on Micas. - Jahrb. Geol. B.-A., 124/1, S. 111-174, Wien 1981.

On the age of sinistral shearing along the southern border of the Tauern Window (Eastern Alps).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitzig, C.; Schneider, S.; Hammerschmidt, K.

2009-04-01

The first-order structure of the western Tauern Window consists of three upright, ENE-striking antiforms of large amplitude, whose flanks are overprinted by sinistral shear zones, striking parallel to the axial planes of the antiforms. Analogue modelling suggests that these shear zones accommodate part of the shortening of the South Alpine indenter (Rosenberg et al., 2004). The age of sinistral shearing in the western Tauern Window and immediately south of it is still controversial. Mancktelow et al. (2001) suggested that sinistral shearing at the southern border of the Tauern Window terminated at 30 Ma. Based on monazite spot dates ranging between 29.0-20.3 Ma (n=10) of dextral shear zones, which cross-cut the sinistral Greiner shear zone, Barnes et al. (2004) argued that the switch from sinistral to dextral shear occurred shortly after the thermal peak of the Alpine orogeny (c.~ 30 Ma). Recent dating of mica-bearing marble suggested that the activity of the southernmost sinistral shear zone of the Tauern Window (the Ahrntal shear zone) was 19.8±0.4 Ma ago (Glodny et al. 2008). Sinistral shearing is commonly interpreted as part of the 2nd Alpine phase of deformation that affected the Tauern Window. The main foliation (S1) of the Tauern Window was acquired during a first phase, which resulted in the present day nappe stack. Only along some of the later shear zones a second Alpine foliation (S2) was formed. At present no attempt has been made, to distinguish the two and directly date the S2 mylonitic foliation. In the present work we use the Rb/Sr method to date mineral pairs formed under greenschist to lower amphibolite facies conditions from the tonalitic Zentral Gneiss. We dated four samples, two from the inferred undeformed tonalite protolith, one from the strongly foliated tonalitic gneiss and one from an outcrop-scale sinistral shear zone within the foliated tonalitic gneiss. Generally biotite and feldspar define isochrones for the four samples. The undeformed tonalites yield an age of 26.4±0.1 Ma and of 11.1±0.1 Ma, the strongly foliated tonalitic gneiss yields an age of 19.8±0.1 Ma, which is close to the age of the outcrop-scale shear zone of 18.0±0.1 Ma. It is difficult to interpret the 11 Ma age of one undeformed sample, because it is significantly younger than the ages obtained from zircon fission tracks from neighbouring areas. The older age of 26 Ma for the undeformed tonalite sample is interpreted as cooling age below the closure temperature of biotite, based on the following arguments: 1) This age is consistent with the inferred regional thermochronological distribution of cooling (Luth and Willingshofer, 2008); 2) The rock fabric is undeformed; 3) The age is older than the two deformed samples collected within a distance of a few hundreds of meters. The mineral assemblage of the deformed samples (green biotite and albite crystallisation) differs from the one of the undeformed rocks (red-brown biotite and K-feldspar clasts). Therefore, the albite-biotite isochrons of the deformed samples are inferred to date the deformation event. This age of deformation is consistent with the age determination of Glodny et al. (2008) from deformed marbles of the Schieferhülle, and with previous dating of sinistral shearing along the northern border of the western Tauern Window (Schneider et al., 2007), which yielded an average (n=5) age of 21.9±1.6 Ma. Therefore, sinistral deformation appears to have affected contemporaneously both the northern and the southern margins of the Zentral Gneiss in the western Tauern Window. References: Barnes, J. D., Selverstone, J. & Sharp, Z.D., 2004. Interactions between serpentinite devolatilization, metasomatism and strike-slip strain localization during deep-crustal shearing in the Eastern Alps. Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 22, 283-300. Glodny, J., Ring, U. Kühn. A., 2008. Coeval high-pressure metamorphism, thrusting, strike slip, and extensional shearing in the Tauern Window, Eastern Alps, Tectonics, 27, TC4004, DOI:10.1029/2007TC002193. Luth, S.W., & Willingshofer, E. 2008. Mapping of the Post-Collisional Cooling History of the Eastern Alps, Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel DOI:10.1007/s00015-008-1294-9 Mancktelow, N.S., Stöckli, D., Grollimund, B., Müller, W., Fügenschuh, B., Viola, G., Seward, D. & Villa, I., 2001. The DAV and Periadriatic fault systems in the eastern Alps south of the Tauern Window. International Journal of Earth Sciences, 90, 593-622. Rosenberg, C.L., Brun, J.-P., Cagnard, F., and Gapais, D., 2007. Oblique indentation in the Eastern Alps: Insights from laboratory experiments, Tectonics, 26, TC2003, doi:10.1029/2006TC001960. Schneider, S., Hammerschmidt, K., and Rosenberg, C.L., 2007. In-situ Rb-Sr dating of the SEMP mylonites, western Tauern Window, Eastern Alps Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 9, 09136. SRef-ID: 1607-7962/gra/EGU2007-A-09136

Microsatellite Marker Analysis Reveals the Complex Phylogeographic History of Rhododendron ferrugineum (Ericaceae) in the Pyrenees

PubMed Central

Charrier, Olivia; Dupont, Pierre; Pornon, André; Escaravage, Nathalie

2014-01-01

Genetic variation within plant species is determined by a number of factors such as reproductive mode, breeding system, life history traits and climatic events. In alpine regions, plants experience heterogenic abiotic conditions that influence the population's genetic structure. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic structure and phylogeographic history of the subalpine shrub Rhododendron ferrugineum across the Pyrenees and the links between the populations in the Pyrenees, the Alps and Jura Mountains. We used 27 microsatellite markers to genotype 645 samples from 29 Pyrenean populations, three from the Alps and one from the Jura Mountains. These data were used to estimate population genetics statistics such as allelic richness, observed heterozygosity, expected heterozygosity, fixation index, inbreeding coefficient and number of migrants. Genetic diversity was found to be higher in the Alps than in the Pyrenees suggesting colonization waves from the Alps to the Pyrenees. Two separate genetic lineages were found in both the Alps and Pyrenees, with a substructure of five genetic clusters in the Pyrenees where a loss of genetic diversity was noted. The strong differentiation among clusters is maintained by low gene flow across populations. Moreover, some populations showed higher genetic diversity than others and presented rare alleles that may indicate the presence of alpine refugia. Two lineages of R. ferrugineum have colonized the Pyrenees from the Alps. Then, during glaciation events R. ferrugineum survived in the Pyrenees in different refugia such as lowland refugia at the eastern part of the chain and nunataks at high elevations leading to a clustered genetic pattern. PMID:24667824

Ziwundaschg - 10Be dating an Older Dryas cirque glacier moraine in the middle of the Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moran, Andrew; Ivy-Ochs, Susan; Kerschner, Hanns

2017-04-01

Alpine glacier extents during the Oldest Dryas period (>14.7 ka) are still largely unknown. Moraines from that period are comparatively rare and usually attributed to the "Gschnitz Stadial", which marks the alpine glacier reaction to the first part of Heinrich event 1. In many valleys, in the absence of clear geomorphological evidence, estimates for the glacier extent during that period range between large dendritic valley glacier systems with a well defined, albeit unknown glacier end on the one hand and numerous local valley and cirque glaciers on the other hand. In this context well dated local glacier extents may play an important role, as they provide boundary conditions for the altitude of the equilibrium line (an important palaeoclimatic parameter) and thus limit possible speculations about glacier extents in their vicinity. "Ziwundaschg" is the place name for a cirque in the western Ötztal Mountains near the upper Inn valley and Reschenpass. It is situated more or less in the centre of the Eastern Alps. The cirque floor is at an altitude of about 2000 m and the highest mountains in the back of the cirque are around 2750 m. They were not glacierized during the Little Ice Age, and even a glacierization during the Younger Dryas cold phase was likely limited to a few small ice patches. Further down at the cirque floor, a beautifully developed end moraine with lateral moraines is preserved. 10Be ages from boulders on the moraine cluster around the transition from the Oldest Dryas to the Bølling Interstadial, suggesting moraine stabilization due to the rapid warming at that time. The ELA of the glacier was at about 2200 m a.s.l., roughly 600 - 650 m lower than during the LIA. This value can be taken as representative for the mountain ranges in its vicinity and can form the basis for estimates of glacier extent during the early Lateglacial period in the central Eastern Alps.

Phylogeography and recolonization of the Swiss Alps by the Valais shrew (Sorex antinorii), inferred with autosomal and sex-specific markers.

PubMed

Yannic, G; Basset, P; Hausser, J

2008-09-01

Using one male-inherited, one female-inherited and eight biparentally inherited markers, we investigate the population genetic structure of the Valais shrew (Sorex antinorii) in the Swiss Alps. Bayesian analysis on autosomal microsatellites suggests a clear genetic differentiation between two groups of populations. This geographically based structure is consistent with two separate postglacial recolonization routes of the species into Switzerland from Italian refugia after the last Pleistocene glaciations. Sex-specific markers also confirm genetic structuring among western and eastern areas, since very few haplotypes for either Y chromosome or mtDNA genome are shared between the two regions. Overall, these results suggest that two already well-differentiated genetic lineages colonized the Swiss Alps and came into secondary contact in the Rhône Valley. Low level of admixture between the two lineages is likely explained by the mountainous landscape structure of lateral valleys orthogonal to the main Rhône valley.

Intercontinental air pollution transport from North America to Europe: Experimental evidence from airborne measurements and surface observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huntrieser, H.; Heland, J.; Schlager, H.; Forster, C.; Stohl, A.; Aufmhoff, H.; Arnold, F.; Scheel, H. E.; Campana, M.; Gilge, S.; Eixmann, R.; Cooper, O.

2005-01-01

During the airborne CONTRACE field experiment carried out in November 2001 a number of polluted layers of North American (NA) origin were observed in the free troposphere over Europe. For the first time, forecasts from a Lagrangian particle dispersion model were used to predict the NA pollution events and to direct a research aircraft very precisely into these polluted layers above Europe. Two of the NA pollution events are investigated here: one in detail (case 19 November) and a second more briefly (case 22 November). An exceptional result was that the first pollution plume could be traced with the model and trace gas measurements (airborne and surface) for a period of one week, from the source region over the eastern United States to its decay over the Alps. On 14-15 November a warm conveyor belt lifted the leading edge of the pollution plume over the eastern United States to the mid troposphere where it remained during the transport over the Atlantic. On 19 November the plume was intersected with the research aircraft over Scandinavia at an altitude between 2 and 4 km. Elevated CO (170), O3 (53), NOy (1.1), acetone (5.0), and SO2 (2.6) mixing ratios (nmol mol-1) were measured. A positive O3-CO correlation was observed in the plume. The observations indicate that the enhanced levels of ozone were already produced near the source region over the eastern United States and not during the transit. In the next days one branch of the plume then turned to the south and descended to ground level over the Alpine region. Elevated O3 (54 nmol mol-1) and CO (168 nmol mol-1) were observed at the mountain site Zugspitze (southern Germany) during two days. At the Arosa Alpine site in Switzerland the highest daily ozone means of November 2001 were observed during this event.

Polyploidisation and Geographic Differentiation Drive Diversification in a European High Mountain Plant Group (Doronicum clusii Aggregate, Asteraceae)

PubMed Central

Pachschwöll, Clemens; Escobar García, Pedro; Winkler, Manuela; Schneeweiss, Gerald M.; Schönswetter, Peter

2015-01-01

Range shifts (especially during the Pleistocene), polyploidisation and hybridization are major factors affecting high-mountain biodiversity. A good system to study their role in the European high mountains is the Doronicum clusii aggregate (Asteraceae), whose four taxa (D. clusii s.s., D. stiriacum, D. glaciale subsp. glaciale and D. glaciale subsp. calcareum) are differentiated geographically, ecologically (basiphilous versus silicicolous) and/or via their ploidy levels (diploid versus tetraploid). Here, we use DNA sequences (three plastid and one nuclear spacer) and AFLP fingerprinting data generated for 58 populations to infer phylogenetic relationships, origin of polyploids—whose ploidy level was confirmed by chromosomally calibrated DNA ploidy level estimates—and phylogeographic history. Taxonomic conclusions were informed, among others, by a Gaussian clustering method for species delimitation using dominant multilocus data. Based on molecular data we identified three lineages: (i) silicicolous diploid D. clusii s.s. in the Alps, (ii) silicicolous tetraploid D. stiriacum in the eastern Alps (outside the range of D. clusii s.s.) and the Carpathians and (iii) the basiphilous diploids D. glaciale subsp. glaciale (eastern Alps) and D. glaciale subsp. calcareum (northeastern Alps); each taxon was identified as distinct by the Gaussian clustering, but the separation of D. glaciale subsp. calcareum and D. glaciale subsp. glaciale was not stable, supporting their taxonomic treatment as subspecies. Carpathian and Alpine populations of D. stiriacum were genetically differentiated suggesting phases of vicariance, probably during the Pleistocene. The origin (autopolyploid versus allopolyploid) of D. stiriacum remained unclear. Doronicum glaciale subsp. calcareum was genetically and morphologically weakly separated from D. glaciale subsp. glaciale but exhibited significantly higher genetic diversity and rarity. This suggests that the more widespread D. glaciale subsp. glaciale originated from D. glaciale subsp. calcareum, which is restricted to a prominent Pleistocene refugium previously identified in other alpine plant species. PMID:25749621

Linking orogen and peripheral foreland basin: conceptual model and application to the Southalpine-Dinaric (Friuli) orocline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heberer, Bianca; Neubauer, Franz

2010-05-01

Surface uplift and rock exhumation within an orogen are generally a consequence of convergence, and can often be linked with subsidence in a peripheral foreland. Since vertical loads act on the entire lithosphere, these processes can, therefore, be considered as plate-scale processes. Here, we propose a conceptual model for this linkage for the Friuli orocline and its surrounding units. The Friuli orocline stretches from the ENE-trending Southern Alps to the SE-trending Dinarides. There, two Neogene stages of convergence and associated deformation can be differentiated: (1) a Mid-Late Miocene phase of increased surface uplift and intra-orogenic subsidence of sedimentary basins reflecting intra-orogenic crustal-scale folding. Depocentres are e.g. the flexural Belluno, Ljubljana and Klagenfurt basins. (2) A second stage of convergence during Late Pliocene-Pleistocene times led to overall surface uplift in the orogen and contemporaneous pronounced subsidence in the peripheral foreland basin (Venetian platform and the northern Adriatic Sea). We propose, that the spatially variable extent of subsidence originates in variably strong orogen-basin coupling, i.e. weak coupling during stage 1 vs. strong coupling during stage 2. This interpretation is based on the apatite fission track age pattern, the distribution of intra-orogenic Neogene sediment basins and subsidence analyses in the foreland basin (Barbieri et al., 2007). Available low-temperature thermochronological data for the Southern Alps and the NW Dinarides are sparse, in contrast to a dense network of primarily apatite fission track ages north of the Periadriatic lineament (e.g. summarized by Luth & Willingshofer, 2008). AFT ages adjacent to the eastern Periadriatic Lineament mainly range from 15 to 25 Ma (Hejl, 1997; Fodor et al., 2008). Detrital studies on Oligocene to Miocene sediments from the Venetian foreland basin yielded dominant age groups clustering roughly around 20 and 30 Ma (Stefani et al., 2008). Bedrock ages from the vicinity of the Valsugana thrust indicate an important exhumational event at about 10 Ma (Zattin et al., 2006). The existing data already hint at decreasing rates of thermal overprint towards the foreland. Basement uplifts partly display AFT ages contemporaneous to subsidence in intra-orogenic basins. Consequently, existing AFT data and their relationships to intervening Neogene basins suggest a Neogene large-wavelength crustal-scale fold structure between the Klagenfurt basin and the Adriatic Sea. The main stage of subsidence in the Venetian-Adriatic foreland is younger and of Late Pliocene-Pleistocene age reflecting the final, still ongoing stage of shortening (Barbieri et al., 2007). In order to further test these observations, we aim at collecting more structural and low-T thermochronological data from the region. First results from the recently started project "AlDi-Adria" will be presented. References Barbieri, C. et al. 2007: Natural subsidence of the Venice area during the last 60 Myr. Basin Res., 19, 105-123. Fodor, L. et al. 2008: Miocene emplacement and rapid cooling of the Pohorje pluton at the Alpine-Pannonian-Dinaric junction: a geochronological and structural study. Swiss J. Geosci., 101 Suppl. 1, S255-S271. Hejl, E. 1997: 'Cold spots' during the Cenozoic evolution of the Eastern Alps: thermochronological interpretation of apatite fission-track data. Tectonophysics, 272, 159-172. Luth S. W. & Willingshofer, E. 2008: Mapping of the Post-Collisional Cooling History of the Eastern Alps. Swiss J. Geosci., 101, 207-223. Stefani, C. 2008: Provenance and Paleogeographic Evolution in a Multi-Source Foreland: The Cenozoic Venetian-Friulian Basin (NE Italy). J. Sediment. Res., 77, 867-887. Zattin, M. et al. 2006: From Middle Jurassic heating to Neogene cooling: The thermochronological evolution of the southern Alps. Tectonophysics, 414, 191-202.

Terricolous Lichens in the Glacier Forefield of the Morteratsch Glacier (Eastern Alps, Graubünden, Switzerland)

PubMed Central

Bilovitz, Peter O.; Nascimbene, Juri; Mayrhofer, Helmut

2016-01-01

Summary Three sampling sites were established at increasing distance from the Morteratsch glacier to investigate lichen communities on soil in the glacier forefield. The survey yielded 13 lichen species and one lichenicolous fungus. Peltigera extenuata (Nyl. ex Vain.) Lojka (Peltigerales) is new to the canton of Graubünden. PMID:26877564

The Grand St Bernard-Briançonnais Nappe System and the Paleozoic Inheritance of the Western Alps Unraveled by Zircon U-Pb Dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergomi, M. A.; Dal Piaz, G. V.; Malusà, M. G.; Monopoli, B.; Tunesi, A.

2017-12-01

The continental crust involved in the Alpine orogeny was largely shaped by Paleozoic tectono-metamorphic and igneous events during oblique collision between Gondwana and Laurussia. In order to shed light on the pre-Alpine basement puzzle disrupted and reamalgamated during the Tethyan rifting and the Alpine orogeny, we provide sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe U-Pb zircon and geochemical whole rock data from selected basement units of the Grand St Bernard-Briançonnais nappe system in the Western Alps and from the Penninic and Lower Austroalpine units in the Central Alps. Zircon U-Pb ages, ranging from 459.0 ± 2.3 Ma to 279.1 ± 1.1 Ma, provide evidence of a complex evolution along the northern margin of Gondwana including Ordovician transtension, Devonian subduction, and Carboniferous-to-Permian tectonic reorganization. Original zircon U-Pb ages of 371 ± 0.9 Ma and 369.3 ± 1.5 Ma, from calc-alkaline granitoids of the Grand Nomenon and Gneiss del Monte Canale units, provide the first compelling evidence of Late Devonian orogenic magmatism in the Alps. We propose that rocks belonging to these units were originally part of the Moldanubian domain and were displaced toward the SW by Late Carboniferous strike-slip faulting. The resulting assemblage of basement units was disrupted by Permian tectonics and by Mesozoic opening of the Alpine Tethys. Remnants of the Moldanubian domain became either part of the European paleomargin (Grand Nomenon unit) or part of the Adriatic paleomargin (Gneiss del Monte Canale unit), to be finally accreted into the Alpine orogenic wedge during the Cenozoic.

Correlation by Rb-Sr geochronology of garnet growth histories from different structural levels within the Tauern Window, Eastern Alps

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Christensen, John N.; Selverstone, Jane; Rosenfeld, John L.

1993-06-01

In order to evaluate rates of tectonometamorphic processes, growth rates of garnets from metamorphic rocks of the Tauern Window, Eastern Alps were measured using Rb-Sr isotopes. The garnet growth rates were determined from Rb-Sr isotopic zonation of single garnet crystals and the Rb-Sr isotopic compositions of their associated rock matrices. Garnets were analyzed from the Upper Schieferhulle (USH) and Lower Schieferhulle (LSH) within the Tauern Window. Two garnets from the USH grew at rates of 0.67(-0.13)+0.19 mm/million years and 0.88(-0.19)+0.34 mm/million years, respectively, indicating an average growth duration of 5.4 +- 1.7 million years. The duration of growth coupled withmore » the amount of rotation recorded by inclusion trails in the USH garnets yields an average shear-strain rate during garnet growth of 2.7(-0.7)+1.2 x 10(-14) s-1 . Garnet growth in the sample from the USH occurred between 35.4 +- 0.6 and 30 +- 0.8 Ma. The garnet from the LSH grew at a rate of 0.23 +- 0.015 mm/mil lion years, between 62 +- 1.5 Ma and 30.2 +- 1.5 Ma. Contemporaneous cessation of garnet growth in both units at approximately 30 Ma is in accord with previous dating of the thermal peak of metamorphism in the Tauern Window. Correlation with previously published pressure-temperature paths for garnets from the USH and LSH yields approximate rates of burial, exhumation and heating during garnet growth. Assuming that these P - T paths are applicable to the garnets in this study, the contemporaneous exhumation rates recorded by garnet in the USH and LSH were approximately 4(-2)+3 mm/year and 2 +- 1 mm/year, respectively. [References: 34]« less

SKS splitting results in central Italy and Dinaric region inside the AlpArray-CASE project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salimbeni, S.; Prevolnik, S.; Pondrelli, S.; Molinari, I.; Stipcevic, J.; Kissling, E.; Šipka, V.; Herak, M.

2017-12-01

In the framework of the AlpArray project (AlpArray Seismic Network, 2015), the complementary "Central Adriatic Seismic Experiment" (CASE; AlpArray Seismic Network, 2016) was established as collaboration between ETH Zürich, University of Zagreb, INGV and Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Republic of Srpska. The CASE project consists of 9 temporary stations, installed in October 2016, located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Italy. Temporary broadband seismic stations, with the permanent stations present in the region shared by the Croatian Seismological Service and INGV, make an almost continuous transect cutting the Central-Southern Appenines, the central Adriatic region, central External Dinarides and finishing at the eastern margin of the Internal Dinarides. The presence of the the Apenninic and Dinarides slabs, verging in opposite directions and plunging along the opposite sides of the Adriatic plate, make this area a peculiar spot to understand the complex dynamic of the region. Various tomographic images (e.g. Bijwaard and Spakman, 2000; Piromallo and Morelli, 2003) shows not continuous slabs under the Appenines and the Dinarides, suggesting the presence of slab-gaps right beneath the region covered by the CASE experiment. Here we present the preliminary results of the SKS splitting analysis performed on the data recorded by the temporary and permanent seismic stations included in the CASE project. The new results, in combination with previous interpretation, will provide clues about how Northern and Southern Apennines are connected at depth, how the slab rollback of the Apennines thrust belt acted and if and how the Apennines are in relation with the Dinaric region. Together with the measurements from previous studies and from the AlpArray project, our new data will support the mapping of the seismic anisotropy deformation pattern from Western Alps to Pannonian region.

The genetic structure of the mountain forest butterfly Erebia euryale unravels the late Pleistocene and postglacial history of the mountain coniferous forest biome in Europe.

PubMed

Schmitt, Thomas; Haubrich, Karola

2008-05-01

The distribution of the mountain coniferous forest biome in Europe throughout time is not sufficiently understood. One character species of this habitat type is the large ringlet, Erebia euryale well reflecting the extension of this biome today, and the genetic differentiation of this species among and within mountain systems may unravel the late Pleistocene history of this habitat type. We therefore analysed the allozyme pattern of 381 E. euryale individuals from 11 populations in four different European mountain systems (Pyrenees, Alps, Carpathians, Rila). All loci analysed were polymorphic. The mean F(ST) over all samples was high (20%). Furthermore, the mean genetic distance among samples was quite high (0.049). We found four different groups well supported by cluster analyses, bootstraps and hierarchical variance analyses: Pyrenees, western Alps, eastern Alps and southeastern Europe (Carpathians and Rila). The genetic diversity of the populations was highest in the southeastern European group and stepwise decreased westwards. Interestingly, the populations from Bulgaria and Romania were almost identical; therefore, we assume that they were not separated by the Danube Valley, at least during the last ice age. On the contrary, the differentiation among the three western Alps populations was considerable. For all these reasons, we assume that (i) the most important refugial area for the coniferous mountain forest biome in Europe has been located in southeastern Europe including at least parts of the Carpathians and the Bulgarian mountains; (ii) important refugial areas for this biome existed at the southeastern edge of the Alps; (iii) fragments of this habitat types survived along the southwestern Alps, but in a more scattered distribution; and (iv) relatively small relicts have persisted somewhere at the foothills of the Pyrenees.

Stratabound tungsten deposits in the Alps revisited in the light of new age data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raith, Johann

2013-04-01

Correct genetic models are vital for successful exploration of mineral deposits. Key information for deciding on the validity of a genetic model proposed for an ore deposit comes from geochronology. In this presentation we will demonstrate how absoute age determination of ore minerals and associated host rocks with conventional and in-situ dating techniques using the U-Pb, Sm-Nd and Re-Os systems have changed our understanding about the formation of stratiform/stratabound scheelite deposits, a rather unique class of tungsten deposits. This will be demonstrated for tungsten deposits in the Alpine orogen, with focus on the Felbertal scheelite deposit in the Eastern Alps, which is the type locality for this class of tungsten deposits. Genetic models, first propagated in the 1970-ties, postulated a syngenetic/syndiagenetic formation of this and similar deposits by exhalative-hydrothermal processes related to Early Palaeozoic mafic volcanism with subsequent magmatic as well as metamorphic reworking and mobilisation during the Variscan and Alpine orogeny. Discovery of Felbertal has boosted world-wide exploration for this type of W deposit, however without success. No second economic deposit of this type was ever discovered, likely because of inadequate exploration models that were based on a wrong genetic concept. Some essential aspects controlling formation of tungsten deposits in the Eastern Alps are: (1) They are restricted to some Early Palaeozoic terranes now incorporated in the Alpine orogen (pre-Alpine Penninic units, Celtic terrane within the Austroalpine units); this could indicate a selective geochemical pre-concentration of W in some parts of the pre-Alpine crust. (2) Collision-related Variscan magmatism with emplacement of a geochemically highly anomalous metagranitoid at c. 340 Ma ("K1 orthogneiss") proved to be crucial for the Felbertal deposit. (3) A new in-situ U-Pb age of c. 340 Ma for "Scheelite 1" (previously thought to be c. 520 Ma) confirms that at Felbertal all three main scheelite types formed between c. 360-320 Ma. (4) Emplacement of this granitoid overlaps (within the uncertainties of the ages) with Variscan regional metamorphism and deformation. Formation of W deposits in the Penninic is not related to the late to post-orogenic Variscan magmatism (c. 320-290 Ma). (5) Ore formation is coeval with development of a fluid system which is characterised by enrichment in LIL (K, Rb, Cs) and especially in F. These fluids are thought to be of magmatic-hydrothermal origin and affected the host rocks including the K1 orthogneiss and formed scheelite ores in quartz stockwork veins, shear zones and of disseminated type. (6) Foliated ores, previously regarded as syngenetic ore textures (e.g. metaexhalites), are best interpreted as tectonites; e.g., mylonites with older scheelite porphyroclasts plus recrystallised scheelite that formed in high strain zones. Where the direct link with specialised granitoids is lacking - what is the common case for scheelite showings in the Austroalpine units - only sub-economic tungsten mineralisation is developped. Hence: "No economic tungsten deposit without the right granite".

Hail frequency estimation across Europe based on a combination of overshooting top detections and the ERA-INTERIM reanalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Punge, H. J.; Bedka, K. M.; Kunz, M.; Reinbold, A.

2017-12-01

This article presents a hail frequency estimation based on the detection of cold overshooting cloud tops (OTs) from the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) operational weather satellites, in combination with a hail-specific filter derived from the ERA-INTERIM reanalysis. This filter has been designed based on the atmospheric properties in the vicinity of hail reports registered in the European Severe Weather Database (ESWD). These include Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), 0-6-km bulk wind shear and freezing level height, evaluated at the nearest time step and interpolated from the reanalysis grid to the location of the hail report. Regions highly exposed to hail events include Northern Italy, followed by South-Eastern Austria and Eastern Spain. Pronounced hail frequency is also found in large parts of Eastern Europe, around the Alps, the Czech Republic, Southern Germany, Southern and Eastern France, and in the Iberic and Apennine mountain ranges.

Glaciers of Europe

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, Richard S.; Ferrigno, Jane G.

1993-01-01

ALPS: AUSTRIAN: An overview is provided on the occurrence of the glaciers in the Eastern Alps of Austria and on the climatic conditions in this area, Historical documents on the glaciers have been available since the Middle Ages. Special glaciological observations and topographic surveys of individual glaciers were initiated as early as 1846. Recent data in an inventory based on aerial photographs taken in 1969 show 925 glaciers in the Austrian Alps with a total area of 542 square kilometers. Present research topics include studies of mass and energy balance, relations of glaciers and climate, physical glaciology, a complete inventory of the glaciers, and testing of remote sensing methods. The location of the glacier areas is shown on Landsat multispectral scanner images; the improved capabilities of the Landsat thematic mapper are illustrated with an example from the Oztaler Alpen group. ALPS: SWISS: According to a glacier inventory published in 1976, which is based on aerial photography of 1973, there are 1,828 glacier units in the Swiss Alps that cover a total area of 1fl42 square kilometers. The Rhonegletscher, currently the ninth largest in the country, was one of the first to be studied in detail. Its surface has been surveyed repeatedly; velocity profiles were measured, and the fluctuations of its terminus were mapped and recorded from 1874 to 1914. Recent research on the glacier has included climatological, hydrological, and massbalance studies. Glaciological research has been conducted on various other glaciers in Switzerland concerning glacier hydrology, glacier hazards, fluctuations of glacier termini, ice mechanics, ice cores, and mass balance. Good maps are available showing the extent of glaciers from the latter decades of the 19th century. More recently, the entire country has been mapped at scales of 1:25,000, 1:50,000, 1:100,000, 1:200,000, and 1:500,000. The 1:25,000-scale series very accurately represents the glaciers as well as locates supraglacial morainic debris and crevasses. The maps are revised every 6 years by use of aerial photogrammetric methods. The possibility of producing a glacier inventory by combining the topographic maps with Landsat digital and visual data is discussed. ALPS: FRENCH: The glaciers of the French Alps are distributed in four main groups and have a total area of 350 square kilometers. The northernmost group, on the Mont Blanc massif, has a glacier area of 110 square kilometers, which includes Met de Glace, which, with an area of 40 square kilometers, is the largest glacier in the Western Alps. Farther south, the Massif de la Vanoise contains 130 glaciers that have a total area of 85 square kilometers. The glaciers of the Grandes Rousses massif have a total area of 11 square kilometers. Lastly, the Massif du Pelvoux has a total glacier area of 120 square kilometers. Studies of glacier variations since 1600 A.D. have shown numerous fluctuations in glacier length. The glaciers on Mont Blanc that appear to show similar fluctuations in fact have different individual response times. Mass-balance measurements are presently being carried out on nine glaciers. The measurements on one of these glaciers, Glacier de Saint Sorlin, have been used to validate a linear statistical model for mass-balance variation. The model seems to give good results when extended over the entire region of French Alpine glaciers. New methods of mass-balance reconstructions by use of a continuity equation are discussed. Current satellite data have limited usefulness for glacier studies in the French Alps, with the exception of the method correlating changes in the elevation of snowline to changes in glacier mass balance. ALPS: ITALIAN: Research carried out by Italian glaciologists in support of the World Glacier Inventory project identified approximately 1,400 glaciers in the mountain groups of the Italian Alps. The total surface area of all glaciers, glacierets, and permanent snow fields in Italy with

The Alpine nappe stack in western Austria: a crustal-scale cross section

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pomella, Hannah; Ortner, Hugo; Zerlauth, Michael; Fügenschuh, Bernhard

2015-04-01

Based on an N-S-oriented crustal-scale cross section running east of the Rhine Valley in Vorarlberg, western Austria, we address the Alpine nappe stack and discuss the boundary between Central and Eastern Alps. For our cross section, we used surface geology, drillings and reinterpreted seismic lines, together with published sections. The general architecture of the examined area can be described as a typical foreland fold-and-thrust belt, comprising the tectonic units of the Subalpine Molasse, (Ultra-)Helvetic, Penninic and Austroalpine nappes. These units overthrusted the autochthonous Molasse along the south-dipping listric Alpine basal thrust. The European Basement, together with its autochthonous cover, dips gently towards the south and is dissected by normal faults and trough structures. The seismic data clearly show an offset not only of the top of the European Basement, but also of the Mesozoic cover and the Lower Marine Molasse. This indicates an activity of the structures as normal faults after the sedimentation of the Lower Marine Molasse. The Subalpine Molasse is multiply stacked, forming a triangle zone at the boundary with the foreland Molasse. The shortening within the Subalpine Molasse amounts to approximately 45 km (~67 %), as deduced from our cross section with the Lower Marine Molasse as a reference. The hinterland-dipping duplex structure of the Helvetic nappes is deduced from surface and borehole data. There are at least two Helvetic nappes needed to fill the available space between the Molasse below and the Northpenninic above. This is in line with the westerly located NRP20-East transect (Schmid et al., Tectonics 15(5):1047-1048, 1996; Schmid et al., The TRANSMED Atlas: the Mediterranean Region from Crust to Mantle, 2004), where the two Helvetic nappes are separated by the Säntis thrust. Yet in contrast to the Helvetic nappes in the NRP20-East transect, both of our Helvetic nappes comprise Cretaceous and Jurassic strata. This change is explained by an eastward down-stepping of the Säntis thrust along a pre-existing, approximately N-S striking lateral ramp bounding an inverted Jurassic graben structure below the Rhine Valley. This causes the Säntis thrust to detach the base Cretaceous west of the Rhine Valley and the base Jurassic units east of it. This graben-controlled change in detachment level leads to the formation of quite different nappe stacks on either side of the Rhine Valley and a "fault-controlled" appearance of the boundary between the Central and Eastern Alps.

Recognition of hyper-extended rifted margin remnants in the internal zone of the Alpine belt: A tribute to Marco Beltrando

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohn, Geoffroy; Manatschal, Gianreto

2016-04-01

Marco Beltrando was part of the young generation of Alpine geologists who challenged the interpretation of the Western Alps by combining a classical field approach and modern techniques (e.g. 40Ar/39Ar and (U-Th)/He thermochronology). His work provides the foundation to re-interpret some of the classical sections through the Alpine belt and may impact the way of thinking about the nature and structure of internal parts of collisional orogens. This contribution will present the main outcomes of the work of Marco Beltrando and their implications for the understanding of Alpine type orogens. Since his PhD, Marco Beltrando focused most of his work on the study of the internal parts of the Western Alps. He investigated in great details the complex, multiphase structural and metamorphic evolution of the Penninic units in the Western Alps. He concluded that these units went through several cycles of shortening and extension during the Alpine orogeny, with major implications for the Alps but also other orogenic belts. After his PhD, he focused his research on the pre-orogenic evolution of the Alpine belt. He first worked on the Petit St. Bernard area, where he identified relics of the former hyper-extended Tethyan rifted margin. Thanks to his work and his amazing knowledge of the Western Alps, he understood the potential importance of rift-inheritance in controlling the architecture and evolution of the Alpine belt. In parallel to the study of the orogenic evolution, he developed a new methodology to recognize rift-related lithostratigraphic units in highly deformed and metamorphosed parts of the Alps. His innovative work allowed a re-assessment of several areas in the Western Alps and demonstrates the importance of rift inheritance. Recently, he started a new research project on the evolution of the Southern Alps highlighting the importance of heating and cooling cycles resulting from complex successions of rifting events. In spite of his young age, Marco Beltrando was at the forefront of new techniques, ideas and concepts that ultimately will improve our understanding of mountain belts and rift systems. Eventually more than anything, his motivation and enthusiasm were a constant source of inspiration.

Ophiolitic detritus in Kimmeridgian resedimented limestones and its provenance from an eroded obducted ophiolitic nappe stack south of the Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gawlick, Hans-Jürgen; Aubrecht, Roman; Schlagintweit, Felix; Missoni, Sigrid; Plašienka, Dušan

2015-12-01

The causes for the Middle to Late Jurassic tectonic processes in the Northern Calcareous Alps are still controversially discussed. There are several contrasting models for these processes, formerly designated "Jurassic gravitational tectonics". Whereas in the Dinarides or the Western Carpathians Jurassic ophiolite obduction and a Jurassic mountain building process with nappe thrusting is widely accepted, equivalent processes are still questioned for the Eastern Alps. For the Northern Calcareous Alps, an Early Cretaceous nappe thrusting process is widely favoured instead of a Jurassic one, obviously all other Jurassic features are nearly identical in the Northern Calcareous Alps, the Western Carpathians and the Dinarides. In contrast, the Jurassic basin evolutionary processes, as best documented in the Northern Calcareous Alps, were in recent times adopted to explain the Jurassic tectonic processes in the Carpathians and Dinarides. Whereas in the Western Carpathians Neotethys oceanic material is incorporated in the mélanges and in the Dinarides huge ophiolite nappes are preserved above the Jurassic basin fills and mélanges, Jurassic ophiolites or ophiolitic remains are not clearly documented in the Northern Calcareous Alps. Here we present chrome spinel analyses of ophiolitic detritic material from Kimmeridgian allodapic limestones in the central Northern Calcareous Alps. The Kimmeridgian age is proven by the occurrence of the benthic foraminifera Protopeneroplis striata and Labyrinthina mirabilis, the dasycladalean algae Salpingoporella pygmea, and the alga incertae sedis Pseudolithocodium carpathicum. From the geochemical composition the analysed spinels are pleonastes and show a dominance of Al-chromites (Fe3+-Cr3+-Al3+ diagram). In the Mg/(Mg+ Fe2+) vs. Cr/(Cr+ Al) diagram they can be classified as type II ophiolites and in the TiO2 vs. Al2O3 diagram they plot into the SSZ peridotite field. All together this points to a harzburgite provenance of the analysed spinels as known from the Jurassic suprasubduction ophiolites well preserved in the Dinarides/Albanides. These data clearly indicate Late Jurassic erosion of obducted ophiolites before their final sealing by the Late Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous carbonate platform pattern.

Little Ice Age mapping as a tool for identifying hazard in the paraglacial environment: The case study of Trentino (Eastern Italian Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanoner, Thomas; Carton, Alberto; Seppi, Roberto; Carturan, Luca; Baroni, Carlo; Salvatore, Maria Cristina; Zumiani, Matteo

2017-10-01

The Little Ice Age (LIA) is a well-recognized climatic event during which the glaciers in the Alps advanced and reached their maximum Holocene extent. During their retreat following the LIA, the glaciers left large areas of loose or poorly consolidated glacial deposits in their forelands, which are subject to paraglacial reworking and may represent potential hazards for human infrastructures. In this study, we present a regional scale mapping of the LIA and post-LIA glacial deposits and a reconstruction of the maximum LIA extents of glaciers in the same area. This work is motivated by a local law requiring the classification of areas subject to natural hazards in Trentino (Italian Alps). Results highlight that glaciers shrunk by 63% from the LIA maximum, leaving 30 km2 of unconsolidated deposits, which are subject to geomorphic paraglacial processes. Potentially hazardous consequences can occur, in particular, during high-magnitude instantaneous events, causing debris and mud flows, mass wasting from debris-covered ice, and floods from small moraine-dammed lakes.

Alpine inversion of the North African margin and delamination of its continental lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roure, FrançOis; Casero, Piero; Addoum, Belkacem

2012-06-01

This paper aims at summarizing the current extent and architecture of the former Mesozoic passive margin of North Africa from North Algeria in the west up to the Ionian-Calabrian arc and adjacent Mediterranean Ridge in the east. Despite that most paleogeographic models consider that the Eastern Mediterranean Basin as a whole is still underlain by remnants of the Permo-Triassic or a younger Cretaceous Tethyan-Mesogean ocean, the strong similarities documented here in structural styles and timing of inversion between the Saharan Atlas, Sicilian Channel and the Ionian abyssal plain evidence that this portion of the Eastern Mediterranean Basin still belongs to the distal portion of the North African continental margin. A rim of Tethyan ophiolitic units can be also traced more or less continuously from Turkey and Cyprus in the east, in onshore Crete, in the Pindos in Greece and Mirdita in Albania, as well as in the Western Alps, Corsica and the Southern Apennines in the west, supporting the hypothesis that both the Apulia/Adriatic domain and the Eastern Mediterranean Basin still belong to the former southern continental margin of the Tethys. Because there is no clear evidence of crustal-scale fault offsetting the Moho, but more likely a continuous yet folded Moho extending between the foreland and the hinterland beneath the Mediterranean arcs, we propose here a new model of delamination of the continental lithosphere for the Apennines and the Aegean arcs. In this model, only the mantle lithosphere of Apulia and the Eastern Mediterranean is still locally subducted and recycled in the asthenosphere, most if not all the northern portion of the African crust and coeval Moho being currently decoupled from its former, currently delaminated and subducted mantle lithosphere.

An exploratory analysis of alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, and prostate-specific antigen dynamics in the phase 3 ALSYMPCA trial with radium-223

PubMed Central

Sartor, O.; Coleman, R. E.; Nilsson, S.; Heinrich, D.; Helle, S. I.; O’Sullivan, J. M.; Vogelzang, N. J.; Bruland, Ø.; Kobina, S.; Wilhelm, S.; Xu, L.; Shan, M.; Kattan, M. W.; Parker, C.

2017-01-01

Background Baseline clinical variables are prognostic for overall survival (OS) in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Their prognostic and predictive value with agents targeting bone metastases, such as radium-223, is not established. Patients and methods The radium-223 ALSYMPCA trial enrolled patients with CRPC and symptomatic bone metastases. Prognostic potential of baseline variables was assessed using Cox models. Percentage changes in biomarker levels from baseline were evaluated during the trial period; changes from baseline to week 12 were evaluated for association with OS and surrogacy. Results Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, total alkaline phosphatase (tALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) at baseline were associated with OS (P ≤ 0.0003) in the intent-to-treat population (radium-223, N = 614; placebo, N = 307). tALP declined from baseline within 4 weeks after beginning radium-223, by week 12 declining in 87% of radium-223 and 23% of placebo patients (P < 0.001). LDH declined in 51% and 34% (P = 0.003), whereas PSA declined in 27% and 14% (P = 0.160). Mean tALP change from baseline was 32.2% decrease with radium-223 and 37.2% increase with placebo. Radium-223 patients with tALP decline from baseline to week 12 (confirmed ≥3 weeks from week 12) had 55% lower risk of death (hazard ratio = 0.45; 95% CI 0.34–0.61) versus those with no confirmed tALP decline. Proportional treatment effect (PTE) values for tALP, LDH, and PSA changes from baseline at week 12 as OS surrogate markers were 0.34 (95% CI: 0–0.746), 0.07 (95% CI: 0–0.211), and 0 (95% CI: 0–0.082), respectively. Conclusions Significant tALP declines (versus placebo) occurred as early as 4 weeks after beginning radium-223 therapy. tALP or LDH declines at 12 weeks correlated with longer OS, but did not meet statistical surrogacy requirements. Dynamic changes in tALP and LDH during radium-223 treatments may be useful to monitor, but do not serve as surrogates for survival. PMID:28453701

No erosional control on the lateral growth of the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenberg, C. L.; Berger, A.

2009-04-01

On the base of literature data, we estimated the paleowidth of the Central Alps and the changing location of the inferred active fronts of the orogen from the Oligocene to the present. These compilations indicate that the absolute change of width, defined as the distance between the most external, but not necessarily active thrusts of the orogen was modest, amounting to less than 15 %, from 32 Ma to the present. This value lies within the error of estimate, and hence it is no sound evidence for lateral growth or retreat of the orogen. On the other hand the width of the active orogen, defined as the distance between the most external active thrusts, did increase in the early Miocene. This increase started already in the Oligocene as also concluded on the base of sedimentological findings, suggesting a continuous growth of thrusts through the Oligocene-Early Miocene interval (e.g. Schumacher et al., 1996). In the Late Miocene the active width of the Southern Alps decreased, as documented by a pre-Messinian out-of-sequence phase of thrusting (Lecco thrust; Schönborn, 1992) younger than the Milan Belt (Schönborn 1992). Increasing erosion rates are expected to reduce the width of the orogen, whereas decreasing rates are expected to increase its width (Beaumont et al., 1992). Therefore, following the example of previous investigations (Schlunegger et al., 2001; Schlunegger and Simpson, 2002; Willett et al., 2006) we compare the reconstructed changes of width of the Alps with the depositional budgets of the Alpine foreland basins (Kuhlemann, 2000) inferred to be a proxy for the erosion rates of the Alpine belt. This comparison shows that the most significant increases in erosion efficiency do not lead to a decrease in the active width of the orogen. This is indicated by the pronounced foreland-directed growth of the Alps after the Messinian, i.e., during the phase of greatest increase in the erosion rates of the orogen. The best regional examples are the northward shift of the deformation front of the Jura Mountains (Nivière and Winter, 2000; Giamboni et al., 2004; Madritsch et al., 2008), the westward shift of the Chaines Subalpines (Lickorisch and Ford, 1998) on the western side of the orogen, and the southward migration of the active front in the eastern sector of the Southern Alps (Benedetti et al., 2000). The reduced erosional efficiency of the orogen, which started at 17 Ma and continued until the Messinian (Kuhlemann, 2000) also did not coincide to a phase of lateral growth of the orogen. Out-of sequence thrusting in the Southern Alps (Schönborn, 1992) reduced the width of the chain well before the Messinian crisis, i.e. during the phase of fading erosion efficiency. Therefore, erosion does not seem to have been the prime control on the changes of width of the orogen. Alternatively, the effect of erosion on the lateral growth of the orogen can be tested by comparing the timing and the type of shifts of the active deformation front from different parts of the orogen. If climate changes are inferred to control changes in the erosional efficiency of the Alps (Willett et al., 2006), the tectonic response to a given change of climate is expected to be coeval and of similar type in all parts of the chain. This is especially true for an orogen as small as the Alps, whose different portions are all affected by the same climatic conditions. However, the mode of exhumation of the Eastern Alps is very different than that of the Western and Central Alps. The exhumation front progressively shifted towards the foreland in the latter case, whereas it remained focused in the axial zone of the orogen in the former case (Rosenberg and Berger, 2009). As a consequence, a broad metamorphic belt, with cooling ages younging from the axial zone towards the foreland formed in the western Alps, and a narrow metamorphic belt with cooling ages younging towards the axial zone of the orogen formed in the Eastern Alps. These first-order differences indicate that processes other than erosion and climate change controlled the migration of the deformation and exhumation fronts of the Alps. References: Beaumont, C., P. Fullsack, and J. Hamilton (1992). In: K.R. McKlay (ed.), Thrust Tectonics, pp. 19-31, Chapman and Hall, New York. Benedetti, L., P. Tapponnier, G.C.P. King, B. Meyer, and I. Manighetti (2000). J. Geophys. Res., 105, 739-766. Giamboni, M., K. Ustaszewski, S.M. Schmid, M. Schumacher, and A. Wetzel (2004). Int. J. Earth Sci., 93, 207-223. Kuhlemann, J. (2000). Mem. Sci. Geol. Padova, 52, 1-91. Lickorisch, W. H., Ford, M., (1998). In: Mascle et al. (eds.), Cenozoic foreland basin of Western Europe, Geol. Soc. London, Spec. Publ., 134, 189-211. Madritsch, H., S. M. Schmid, and O. Fabbri (2008). Tectonics, 27, TC5005, doi:10.1029/2008TC002282 Rosenberg, C.L. and Berger, A. (2009).Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 11, EGU2009-2906, 2009 EGU General Assembly 2009Schlunegger, F., J. Melzer, and G.E. Tucker (2001). Int. J. Earth Sci., 90, 484-499. Schlunegger, F., and G. Simpson (2002), Geology 30, 907-910. Schönborn, G. (1992) Mem. Scienze Sci. Geolog. Padova, 44, 229-393. Schumacher, M.E., G. Schönborn, D. Bernoulli, and H.P. Laubscher (1996), In: O.A. Pfiffner et al. (eds.), Deep Structure of the Swiss Alps — Results from the National Research Program 20 (NRP 20), 186-204, Birkhäuser, Basel. Willett, S.D., F. Schlunegger, and V. Picotti (2006). Geology, 34, 613-616.

Holocene climate dynamics in the Eastern Italian Alps: a multi-proxy study from ice and peat bogs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poto, Luisa; Gabrieli, Jacopo; Segnana, Michela; Festi, Daniela; Oeggl, Klaus; Barbante, Carlo

2014-05-01

The Eastern Italian Alps are located near one of the areas in the world with some of the longest records of extreme environmental use by human activity. In this area, paleo-climate studies are hampered by the lack of high-resolution multi-proxy records with adequate chronological control. With this project, we propose to reconstruct Holocene climatic and environmental variations in the Eastern Italian Alps using terrestrial and glaciological archives. We aim to study the characteristics of different climate stages in this sector of the Alps using an ice core drilled on the top of the Ortles glacier (46°30' N, 10°32 E, 3850 m a.s.l.) and ombrotrophic peat bog records from the Dolomites (Danta di Cadore, 46°34' N, 12°33 E, 1400 m a.s.l. and Coltrondo 46°39'28.37''N 12°26'59.17''E, 1800 m a.s.l., Belluno province). The study of global climatic change require a holistic and multi-proxy approach to better understand several complex and often non-linear relationships. In the Italian Alps our study on peat cores represents the first attempt where a multi-proxy approach is applied, and here we report our first results. A 7.0 m peat sequence was extracted in Danta di Cadore. The depth-age scale, based upon independent 14C and 210Pb dates and modeled with the Clam method (Blaauw, 2010), demonstrates that the archive covers more than 13,200 years (cal BP). We determined physical proprieties, Ca and Ti trends, pore water pH, conductivity, and Ca/Mg ratios to identify changes in trophic conditions. The results confirm that the uppermost 400 cm are composed of ombrotrophic peat representing the longest Eastern Alpine ombrotrophic record yet obtained, covering the last 7,000 years. The oldest radiocarbon age (13,200 years cal BP) provides evidence that, during the Bölling-Alleröd interstadial, the upper part of the Piave Glacier was ice-free up to 1400 m a.s.l.. At that time pollen assemblages show that a conifer forest characterized the local vegetation. This forest was then affected by the climatic cooling of the Younger Dryas, which caused an opening of the vegetation. The climatic amelioration occurring at the onset of the Holocene favored the local expansion of warmth-demanding species. X-ray Fluorescence Core Scanner (XRF-CS) analysis was applied for the first time on Eastern Alpine peat sequences. XRF-CS signals were calibrated with ICP-MS, showing very high correlation and demonstrating that the XRF-CS technique provides reliable quantitative data. Results provide information about geochemical processes occurring in the bog. The impact of mining activity was also evaluated. Concentration levels and enrichment factors (EFs) of several trace elements such as Pb, Ag and Cd correspond to the historical data about mining activities in the Cadore region. Lead isotopes ratios were measured to identify natural and anthropogenic sources of Pb emissions. Results show an increase of Pb deriving from fuel combustion over the last decades that gradually overlie the impacts of mining activity. The decreasing 206Pb/207Pb trend reached its minimum value of 1.153 in the 1990s and then increased again. In these years, Italy started to follow EU rules to limit global pollutants in the atmosphere, and finally banned leaded fuels in 2002. Both 206Pb/207Pb ratio and Pb fluxes show a particular event between 1975 and 1980: this behavior is characteristic of the ILE (Isotopic Lead Experiment), a large-scale isotopic tracer experiment which was carried out in the Piedmont region (N-W Italy). This multi-proxy approach that integrates, using new chronological insights, chemical physical and biological features of the core, improves our understanding of Eastern Alpine Holocene climate, helping to delineate biotic and abiotic responses to climate dynamics during the present interglacial. Blaauw, M. 2010. Methods and code for 'classical' age modeling of radiocarbon sequences. Quarternary Geochronology, 5: 512-518.

EAARL Coastal Topography-Eastern Louisiana Barrier Islands, Post-Hurricane Gustav, 2008: First Surface

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bonisteel-Cormier, J.M.; Nayegandhi, Amar; Wright, C.W.; Sallenger, A.H.; Brock, J.C.; Nagle, D.B.; Vivekanandan, Saisudha; Fredericks, Xan

2010-01-01

These remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements of lidar-derived first-surface (FS) topography datasets were produced collaboratively by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, FL, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Wallops Flight Facility, VA. This project provides highly detailed and accurate datasets of a portion of the eastern Louisiana barrier islands, acquired post-Hurricane Gustav (September 2008 hurricane) on September 6 and 7, 2008. The datasets are made available for use as a management tool to research scientists and natural-resource managers. An innovative airborne lidar instrument originally developed at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, and known as the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), was used during data acquisition. The EAARL system is a raster-scanning, waveform-resolving, green-wavelength (532-nanometer) lidar designed to map near-shore bathymetry, topography, and vegetation structure simultaneously. The EAARL sensor suite includes the raster-scanning, water-penetrating full-waveform adaptive lidar, a down-looking red-green-blue (RGB) digital camera, a high-resolution multispectral color infrared (CIR) camera, two precision dual-frequency kinematic carrier-phase GPS receivers, and an integrated miniature digital inertial measurement unit, which provide for sub-meter georeferencing of each laser sample. The nominal EAARL platform is a twin-engine Cessna 310 aircraft, but the instrument may be deployed on a range of light aircraft. A single pilot, a lidar operator, and a data analyst constitute the crew for most survey operations. This sensor has the potential to make significant contributions in measuring sub-aerial and submarine coastal topography within cross-environmental surveys. Elevation measurements were collected over the survey area using the EAARL system, and the resulting data were then processed using the Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS), a custom-built processing system developed in a NASA-USGS collaboration. ALPS supports the exploration and processing of lidar data in an interactive or batch mode. Modules for presurvey flight-line definition, flight-path plotting, lidar raster and waveform investigation, and digital camera image playback have been developed. Processing algorithms have been developed to extract the range to the first and last significant return within each waveform. ALPS is used routinely to create maps that represent submerged or sub-aerial topography. Specialized filtering algorithms have been implemented to determine the 'bare earth' under vegetation from a point cloud of last return elevations. For more information about similar projects, please visit the Decision Support for Coastal Science and Management website.

EAARL Coastal Topography-Eastern Florida, Post-Hurricane Jeanne, 2004: First Surface

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fredericks, Xan; Nayegandhi, Amar; Bonisteel-Cormier, J.M.; Wright, C.W.; Sallenger, A.H.; Brock, J.C.; Klipp, E.S.; Nagle, D.B.

2010-01-01

These remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements of lidar-derived first-surface (FS) topography datasets were produced collaboratively by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, FL, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Wallops Flight Facility, VA. This project provides highly detailed and accurate datasets of a portion of the eastern Florida coastline beachface, acquired post-Hurricane Jeanne (September 2004 hurricane) on October 1, 2004. The datasets are made available for use as a management tool to research scientists and natural-resource managers. An innovative airborne lidar instrument originally developed at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, and known as the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), was used during data acquisition. The EAARL system is a raster-scanning, waveform-resolving, green-wavelength (532-nanometer) lidar designed to map near-shore bathymetry, topography, and vegetation structure simultaneously. The EAARL sensor suite includes the raster-scanning, water-penetrating full-waveform adaptive lidar, a down-looking red-green-blue (RGB) digital camera, a high-resolution multispectral color-infrared (CIR) camera, two precision dual-frequency kinematic carrier-phase GPS receivers, and an integrated miniature digital inertial measurement unit, which provide for sub-meter georeferencing of each laser sample. The nominal EAARL platform is a twin-engine Cessna 310 aircraft, but the instrument may be deployed on a range of light aircraft. A single pilot, a lidar operator, and a data analyst constitute the crew for most survey operations. This sensor has the potential to make significant contributions in measuring sub-aerial and submarine coastal topography within cross-environmental surveys. Elevation measurements were collected over the survey area using the EAARL system, and the resulting data were then processed using the Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS), a custom-built processing system developed in a NASA-USGS collaboration. ALPS supports the exploration and processing of lidar data in an interactive or batch mode. Modules for presurvey flight-line definition, flight-path plotting, lidar raster and waveform investigation, and digital camera image playback have been developed. Processing algorithms have been developed to extract the range to the first and last significant return within each waveform. ALPS is used routinely to create maps that represent submerged or sub-aerial topography. Specialized filtering algorithms have been implemented to determine the 'bare earth' under vegetation from a point cloud of last return elevations. For more information about similar projects, please visit the Decision Support for Coastal Science and Management website.

Palaeomagnetic time and space constraints of the Early Cretaceous Rhenodanubian Flysch zone (Eastern Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dallanave, Edoardo; Kirscher, Uwe; Hauck, Jürgen; Hesse, Reinhard; Bachtadse, Valerian; Wortmann, Ulrich Georg

2018-06-01

The Rhenodanubian Flysch zone (RDF) is a Lower Cretaceous-lower Palaeocene turbidite succession extending for ˜500 km from the Danube at Vienna to the Rhine Valley (Eastern Alps). It consists of calcareous and siliciclastic turbidite systems deposited in a trench abyssal plain. The age of deposition has been estimated through micropalaeontologic dating. However, palaeomagnetic studies constraining the age and the palaeolatitude of deposition of the RDF are still missing. Here, we present palaeomagnetic data from the Early Cretaceous Tristel and Rehbreingraben Formations of the RDF from two localities in the Bavarian Alps (Rehbrein Creek and Lainbach Valley, southern Germany), and from the stratigraphic equivalent of the Falknis Nappe (Liechtenstein). The quality of the palaeomagnetic signal has been assessed by either fold test (FT) or reversal test (RT). Sediments from the Falknis Nappe are characterized by a pervasive syntectonic magnetic overprint as tested by negative FT, and are thus excluded from the study. The sediments of the Rehbreingraben Formation at Rehbrein Creek, with positive RT, straddle magnetic polarity Chron M0r and the younger M΄-1r΄ reverse event, with an age of ˜127-123 Ma (late Barremian-early Aptian). At Lainbach Valley, no polarity reversals have been observed, but a positive FT gives confidence on the reliability of the data. The primary palaeomagnetic directions, after correction for inclination shallowing, allow to precisely constrain the depositional palaeolatitude of the Tristel and Rehbreingraben Formations around ˜28°N. In a palaeogeographic reconstruction of the Alpine Tethys at the Barremian/Aptian boundary, the RDF is located on the western margin of the Briançonnais terrain, which was separated from the European continent by the narrow Valais Ocean.

ATM Coastal Topography-Florida 2001: Eastern Panhandle

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yates, Xan; Nayegandhi, Amar; Brock, John C.; Sallenger, A.H.; Bonisteel, Jamie M.; Klipp, Emily S.; Wright, C. Wayne

2009-01-01

These remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements of Lidar-derived first surface (FS) topography were produced collaboratively by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Florida Integrated Science Center (FISC), St. Petersburg, FL, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Wallops Flight Facility, VA. This project provides highly detailed and accurate datasets of the eastern Florida panhandle coastline, acquired October 2, 2001. The datasets are made available for use as a management tool to research scientists and natural resource managers. An innovative scanning Lidar instrument originally developed by NASA, and known as the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), was used during data acquisition. The ATM system is a scanning Lidar system that measures high-resolution topography of the land surface and incorporates a green-wavelength laser operating at pulse rates of 2 to 10 kilohertz. Measurements from the laser-ranging device are coupled with data acquired from inertial navigation system (INS) attitude sensors and differentially corrected global positioning system (GPS) receivers to measure topography of the surface at accuracies of +/-15 centimeters. The nominal ATM platform is a Twin Otter or P-3 Orion aircraft, but the instrument may be deployed on a range of light aircraft. Elevation measurements were collected over the survey area using the ATM system, and the resulting data were then processed using the Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS), a custom-built processing system developed in a NASA-USGS collaboration. ALPS supports the exploration and processing of Lidar data in an interactive or batch mode. Modules for presurvey flight line definition, flight path plotting, Lidar raster and waveform investigation, and digital camera image playback have been developed. Processing algorithms have been developed to extract the range to the first and last significant return within each waveform. ALPS is routinely used to create maps that represent submerged or first surface topography.

Can deep seated gravitational slope deformations be activated by regional tectonic strain: First insights from displacement measurements in caves from the Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baroň, Ivo; Plan, Lukas; Grasemann, Bernhard; Mitroviċ, Ivanka; Lenhardt, Wolfgang; Hausmann, Helmut; Stemberk, Josef

2016-04-01

Tectonic elastic strain and ground deformations are documented as the most remarkable environmental phenomena occurring prior to local earthquakes in tectonically active areas. The question arises if such strain would be able to trigger mass movements. We discuss a directly observed fault slip and a subsequent minor activation of a deep-seated gravitational slope deformation prior to the M = 3 Bad Fischau earthquake between end of November and early December 2013 in NE Austria. The data originate from two faults in the Emmerberg and Eisenstein Caves in the transition zone between the Eastern Alps and the Vienna Basin, monitored in the framework of the FWF "Speleotect" project. The fault slips have been observed at the micrometer-level by means of an opto-mechanical 3D crack gauge TM-71. The discussed event started with the fault activation in the Emmerberg Cave on 25 November 2013 recorded by measurements of about 2 μm shortening and 1 μm sinistral parallel slip, which was fully in agreement with the macroscopically documented past fault kinematics. One day later, the mass (micro) movement activated on the opposite side of the mountain ridge in the Eisenstein Cave and it continued on three consecutive days. Further, the fault in the Emmerberg Cave experienced also a subsequent gravitational relaxation on 2/3 December 2013, when the joint opened and the southern block subsided towards the valley, while the original sinistral displacement remained irreversible. The process was followed by the M = 3 earthquake in Bad Fischau on 11 December 2013. Our data suggest that tectonic strain could play a higher role on the activation of slow mass movements in the area than expected. Although we cannot fully exclude the co-activation of the mass movement in the Eisenstein Cave by water saturation, the presented data bring new insight into recent geodynamics of the Eastern Alps and the Vienna Basin. For better interpretations and conclusions however, we need a much longer period of observations.

Younger Dryas equilibrium line altitudes and precipitation patterns in the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerschner, Hanns; Moran, Andrew; Ivy-Ochs, Susan

2016-04-01

Moraine systems of the "Egesen Stadial" are widespread and easily identifiable features in the Alps. Absolute dating with terrestrial cosmogenic radionuclides shows that the maximum extent was reached during the early Younger Dryas (YD), probably as a reaction to the intense climatic downturn subsequent to Lateglacial Interstadial. In recent years, several new studies and the availability of high-quality laser-scan hillshades and orthophotos allowed a significant extension of the database of YD glaciers as "palaeoprecipitation gauges" to large hitherto unmapped regions in the Austrian and Swiss Alps. The equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of the glaciers and its lowering relative to the Little Ice Age ELA (dELA) shows a distinct and systematic spatial pattern. Along the northern slope of the Alps, dELAs are usually large (around 400 m and perhaps even more), while dELAs range around 200 m in the well sheltered areas of the central Alps, e.g. in the Engadine and in western Tyrol. Both stochastic glacier-climate models (e.g. Ohmura et al. 1992) and the heat- and mass balance equation (Kuhn 1981) allow the reconstruction of precipitation change under the assumption of a spatially constant summer temperature depression, which in turn can be estimated from biological proxies. This allows to draw the spatial pattern of precipitation change with considerable detail. Precipitation change is clearly controlled by the local relief like high mountain chains, deeply incised and long valleys and mountain passes. Generally the contrast between the northern fringe of the Alps and the interior was more pronounced than today. Climate in the Northern and and Northwestern Alps was rather wet with precipitation totals eventually exceeding modern annual sums. The central Alps received 20 - 30% less precipitation than today, mainly due to reduced winter precipitation. In the southern Alps, still scarce spatial information points to precipitation sums which were approximately similar to modern values. As winter precipitation was probably much smaller than today, seasonal contrasts were more pronounced. In total, the pattern of YD precipitation change is remarkably similar to precipitation patterns caused by westerly and northwesterly cyclonic airflow during the present-day hydrologic winter (October - March). Kerschner, H., G. Kaser, R. Sailer (2000): Alpine Younger Dryas glaciers as paleo-precipitation gauges. Annals of Glaciology 31, 80-84. Kerschner, H. and S. Ivy-Ochs (2007): Palaeoclimate from glaciers: Examples from the Eastern Alps during the Alpine Lateglacial and early Holocene. Global and Planetary Change 60, 58-71.

A new late glacial to early Holocene palaeobotanical and archaeological record in the Eastern Pre-Alps: the Palughetto basin (Cansiglio Plateau, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avigliano, Roberto; di Anastasio, Giulio; Improta, Salvatore; Peresani, Marco; Ravazzi, Cesare

2000-12-01

A late glacial to early Holocene lacustrine and peat succession, rich in conifer remains and including some palaeolithic flint artefacts, has been investigated in the Palughetto intermorainic basin (Venetian Pre-Alps). The geomorphological and stratigraphical relationships, 14C dates and pollen analyses allow a reconstruction of the environmental history of the basin and provide significant insights into the reforestation and peopling of the Pre-Alps. The onset of peat accumulation is dated to 14.4-14.1 kyr cal. BP, coinciding with reforestation at middle altitudes that immediately post-dates the immigration of Larix decidua and Picea abies subsp. europaea. Plant macrofossils point to the expansion of spruce about 14.3 kyr cal. BP, so far one of the earliest directly dated in the late glacial period of southern Europe. The previous hypothesis of an early Holocene spruce immigration in the Southern Alps from Slovenia needs reconsideration. Organic sedimentation stopped at the end of the Younger Dryas and was followed by the evolution of hydromorphic soils containing lithic artefacts, anthropic structures and wood charcoal. The typological features of the flint implements refer human occupation of the site to the end of the recent Epigravettian. Charcoals yielded dates either consistent with, or younger than, the archaeological chronology, in the early and middle Holocene.

Climate anomalies associated with the occurrence of rockfalls at high-elevation in the Italian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paranunzio, Roberta; Laio, Francesco; Chiarle, Marta; Nigrelli, Guido; Guzzetti, Fausto

2016-09-01

Climate change is seriously affecting the cryosphere in terms, for example, of permafrost thaw, alteration of rain / snow ratio, and glacier shrinkage. There is concern about the increasing number of rockfalls at high elevation in the last decades. Nevertheless, the exact role of climate parameters in slope instability at high elevation has not been fully explored yet. In this paper, we investigate 41 rockfalls listed in different sources (newspapers, technical reports, and CNR IRPI archive) in the elevation range 1500-4200 m a.s.l. in the Italian Alps between 1997 and 2013 in the absence of an evident trigger. We apply and improve an existing data-based statistical approach to detect the anomalies of climate parameters (temperature and precipitation) associated with rockfall occurrences. The identified climate anomalies have been related to the spatiotemporal distribution of the events. Rockfalls occurred in association with significant temperature anomalies in 83 % of our case studies. Temperature represents a key factor contributing to slope failure occurrence in different ways. As expected, warm temperatures accelerate snowmelt and permafrost thaw; however, surprisingly, negative anomalies are also often associated with slope failures. Interestingly, different regional patterns emerge from the data: higher-than-average temperatures are often associated with rockfalls in the Western Alps, while in the Eastern Alps slope failures are mainly associated with colder-than-average temperatures.

Reconciling late fracturing over the entire Alpine belt: from structural analysis to geochronological constrains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Audrey, Bertrand; Sue, Christian

2016-04-01

Brittle deformations allow assessing the late stage of deformation of an orogenic chain. We reappraised the meaning of the late fracturing over the entire Alps in a global geodynamic context. The closure temperature of ZFT corresponds to the brittle-ductile transition in quartz. Therefore, ZFT ages are a proxy for the maximal age of brittle deformation. Combined analyses of ZFT ages with paleostresses data allow the comparison of the brittle deformations over the belt. In the Western Alps, paleostress indicate a major occurrence of orogen-paralell extension and associated strike-slip regimes (Champagnac et al. 2006; Sue et al. 2007 ; Sue and Tricart, 2003). Indeed, paleostress data show a rotation of the main σ3 stress axes along the arc. Those structures are of Miocene age and are related to the propagation of the Alpine front toward the external zone. In the Central Alps, Paleostress fields are dominated by orogen-parrallel extensional regimes both in the Bergell area (Ciancaleoni and Marquer 2008) and the Lepontie dome (Allanic, 2012). In the Eastern Alps, the only area where ZFT ages are of Tertiary ages is the Tauern Window. The brittle deformation is here dominated by orogen-parallel extension at the eastern and western borders of the dome and by strike-slip faulting in the central parts (Bertrand et al., 2015), and inferred to be driven by the combined collapse and lateral escape of the orogenic wedge, due to indentation on the Adriatic indenter (Ratschbacher et al., 1991). Major orogen-parallel extensional signal is closely linked with transcurrent deformation's component. It appears extremely stable all over the Alps and coeval with the propagation of the alpine front top the W-NW. Looking deeper, SKS splitting over the Alps [Qorbani et al., 2015] roughly indicates an orogen-parallel anisotropy pattern in the upper mantle. Indeed, the scheme of the SKS is very comparable with faulting data along-strike of the Alps. In this frame, we can compare both kinds of data, a priori disconnected, but which exhibit similar patterns. How about connecting deep processes in the upper alpine mantel, and its ductile flow, and upper crustal Miocene dynamics, as seen by brittle deformation? There is a very good correlation between the two pattern of deformation, related to two structural levels, the upper crust and the upper mantle, suggesting that the orogen-parallel extension could be an answer to lithospheric-scale processes. In this geodynamic model we may propose that the overall orogen-parallel Miocene extension observed in the upper crust of the internal Alps may be driven by mantel flow and slab retreat processes implying the Panonian slab to the East and the Apennine slab to the SW. REF: Allanic, C., 2013. PhD, Orléans, 272p - Bertrand, A. et al., 2015. Tectonophysics, 649, 1-17 - Champagnac J-D. et al. Tectonics. doi: 10.1029/2004TC001779 - Ciancaleoni, L. and Marquer, D., 2008 Tectonics, 27, 1-22. Ratschbacher, L. et al. 1989 Geology 17:404-407 - Schmid, S.M. et al. 1996. Tectonics, 15, 1036-1064 - Sue, C. and Tricart, P., 2003 Tectonics 22:1-25 - Sue, C. et al. 2007, IJES, 96, 1101-1129.

Molecular biogeography of Europe: Pleistocene cycles and postglacial trends

PubMed Central

Schmitt, Thomas

2007-01-01

The climatic cycles with subsequent glacial and intergalcial periods have had a great impact on the distribution and evolution of species. Using genetic analytical tools considerably increased our understanding of these processes. In this review I therefore give an overview of the molecular biogeography of Europe. For means of simplification, I distinguish between three major biogeographical entities: (i) "Mediterranean" with Mediterranean differentiation and dispersal centres, (ii) "Continental" with extra-Mediterranean centres and (iii) "Alpine" and/or "Arctic" with recent alpine and/or arctic distribution patterns. These different molecular biogeographical patterns are presented using actual examples. Many "Mediterranean" species are differentiated into three major European genetic lineages, which are due to glacial isolation in the three major Mediterranean peninsulas. Postglacial expansion in this group of species is mostly influenced by the barriers of the Pyrenees and the Alps with four resulting main patterns of postglacial range expansions. However, some cases are known with less than one genetic lineage per Mediterranean peninsula on the one hand, and others with a considerable genetic substructure within each of the Mediterranean peninsulas, Asia Minor and the Maghreb. These structures within the Mediterranean sub-centres are often rather strong and in several cases even predate the Pleistocene. For the "Continental" species, it could be shown that the formerly supposed postglacial spread from eastern Palearctic expansion centres is mostly not applicable. Quite the contrary, most of these species apparently had extra-Mediterranean centres of survival in Europe with special importance of the perialpine regions, the Carpathian Basin and parts of the Balkan Peninsula. In the group of "Alpine" and/or "Arctic" species, several molecular biogeographical patterns have been found, which support and improve the postulates based on distribution patterns and pollen records. Thus, genetic studies support the strong linkage between southwestern Alps and Pyrenees, northeastern Alps and Carpathians as well as southeastern Alps and the Dinaric mountain systems, hereby allowing conclusions on the glacial distribution patterns of these species. Furthermore, genetic analyses of arctic-alpine disjunct species support their broad distribution in the periglacial areas at least during the last glacial period. The detailed understanding of the different phylogeographical structures is essential for the management of the different evolutionary significant units of species and the conservation of their entire genetic diversity. Furthermore, the distribution of genetic diversity due to biogeographical reasons helps understanding the differing regional vulnerabilities of extant populations. PMID:17439649

Early Holocene (8.6 ka) rock avalanche deposits, Obernberg valley (Eastern Alps): Landform interpretation and kinematics of rapid mass movement.

PubMed

Ostermann, Marc; Sanders, Diethard; Ivy-Ochs, Susan; Alfimov, Vasily; Rockenschaub, Manfred; Römer, Alexander

2012-10-15

In the Obernberg valley, the Eastern Alps, landforms recently interpreted as moraines are re-interpreted as rock avalanche deposits. The catastrophic slope failure involved an initial rock volume of about 45 million m³, with a runout of 7.2 km over a total vertical distance of 1330 m (fahrböschung 10°). 36 Cl surface-exposure dating of boulders of the avalanche mass indicates an event age of 8.6 ± 0.6 ka. A 14 C age of 7785 ± 190 cal yr BP of a palaeosoil within an alluvial fan downlapping the rock avalanche is consistent with the event age. The distal 2 km of the rock-avalanche deposit is characterized by a highly regular array of transverse ridges that were previously interpreted as terminal moraines of Late-Glacial. 'Jigsaw-puzzle structure' of gravel to boulder-size clasts in the ridges and a matrix of cataclastic gouge indicate a rock avalanche origin. For a wide altitude range the avalanche deposit is preserved, and the event age of mass-wasting precludes both runout over glacial ice and subsequent glacial overprint. The regularly arrayed transverse ridges thus were formed during freezing of the rock avalanche deposits.

Extra-Mediterranean glacial refugia in a Mediterranean faunal element: the phylogeography of the chalk-hill blue Polyommatus coridon (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae)

PubMed Central

Kühne, Gero; Kosuch, Joachim; Hochkirch, Axel; Schmitt, Thomas

2017-01-01

Most warm-adapted Central European species are thought to have survived ice ages exclusively in Mediterranean refugia. During recent years, this point of view has been questioned. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that extra-Mediterranean refugia also played a role in warm-adapted insect species and selected the chalk-hill blue, Polyommatus coridon. We sequenced two mitochondrial loci (COI, CR) in 150 individuals from 30 populations covering nearly the complete range. Minimum spanning networks and other statistical analyses concordantly revealed four genetic lineages with strong phylogeographic signal: a western group in Italy, France and western/central Germany, an eastern lineage in the Balkan Peninsula, the Carpathian Basin and eastern Central Europe, an Alpine group with populations in the Alps and southern Germany and a Pyrenean group. Our results are generally consistent with previous analyses for P. coridon based on allozymes and DNA sequences, but provide additional insights. We propose that these four lineages have evolved during allopatry in different glacial refugia, two in typical Mediterranean refugia (Apennines and Balkan Peninsulas), but two in extra-Mediterranean areas south of the Alps and Pyrenees. This supports survival of warm-adapted organisms in these regions in close geographic proximity to the refugia of high mountain species.

Jungfrau and Interlaken, Switzerland

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

The Bernese Alps form the centerpiece of this late summer view of Switzerland; Jungfrau (J - 4158 m), Moench (M - 4089 m), and Eiger (E - 3970 m) are among the higher peaks of the Central Alps. North of the range is the city of Interlaken, flanked by the Thune See and Brienzer See (lakes); the long, straight-segmented valley of the Rhone lies to the south. On the southern flank of the Jungfrau massif is the Aletsch glacier, meltwaters of which feed the upper Rhone; another source is the Rhone glacier at the eastern end of the valley. One estimate holds that roughly half the ice in glaciers of the European Alps has melted since 1850 (http://www.geographical.co.uk/geographical/features/feb_2001_climate.html). U-shaped valleys carved by glaciers are clearly visible; some, such as that of the Rhone, have been modified by through-flowing rivers. The Swiss Alps are elements of a great mountain system that was constructed as Africa and Eurasia collided, starting more than 90 million years ago. Ancient basement rocks (>325 million years old) of the Bernese Alps were uplifted, folded, and forced northward between 29 and 10 million years ago. Reference: Trumpy, R., 1997, Alpine orogeny, in Moores, E. M. and Fairbridge, R. W., editors, Encyclopedia of European and Asian Regional Geology: London, Chapman and Hall, pages 16-26. STS106-718-09 was taken in September, 2001 by the crew of Space Shuttle mission 106 using a Hasselblad camera with 250-mm lens. The image is provided by the Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA-JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.

Imaging the slab structure in the Alpine region by high-resolution P-wave tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillot, Stéphane; Zhao, Liang; Paul, Anne; Malusà, Marco G.; Xu, Xiaobing; Zheng, Tianyu; Solarino, stefano; Schwartz, Stéphane; Dumont, Thierry; Salimbeni, Simone; Aubert, Coralie; Pondrelli, Silvia; Wang, Qingchen; Zhu, Rixiang

2017-04-01

Based upon a finite-frequency inversion of traveltimes, we computed a new high-resolution tomography model using P-wave data from 527 broadband seismic stations, both from permanent networks and temporary experiments (Zhao et al., 2016). This model provides an improved image of the slab structure in the Alpine region, and fundamental pin-points for the analysis of Cenozoic magmatism, (U)HP metamorphism and Alpine topography. Our results document the lateral continuity of the European slab from the Western to the Central Alps, and the down-dip slab continuity beneath the Central Alps, ruling out the hypothesis of slab breakoff to explain Cenozoic Alpine magmatism. A low velocity anomaly is observed in the upper mantle beneath the core of the Western Alps, pointing to dynamic topography effects (Malusà et al., this meeting). A NE-dipping Adriatic slab, consistent with Dinaric subduction, is possibly observed beneath the Eastern Alps, whereas the laterally continuous Adriatic slab of the Northern Apennines shows major gaps at the boundary with the Southern Apennines, and becomes near vertical in the Alps-Apennines transition zone. Tear faults accommodating opposite-dipping subductions during Alpine convergence may represent reactivated lithospheric faults inherited from Tethyan extension. Our results suggest that the interpretations of previous tomography results that include successive slab breakoffs along the Alpine-Zagros-Himalaya orogenic belt might be proficiently reconsidered. Malusà M.G. et alii (2017) On the potential asthenospheric linkage between Apenninic slab rollback and Alpine topographic uplift: insights from P wave tomography and seismic anisotropy analysis. EGU 2017. Zhao L. et alii (2016), Continuity of the Alpine slab unraveled by high-resolution P wave tomography. J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1002/2016JB013310.

New constraints on Neogene counter-clockwise rotation of Adria relative to Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Breton, Eline; Handy, Mark R.; Molli, Giancarlo; Ustaszewski, Kamil

2017-04-01

The Adriatic microplate (Adria) is a key player in the geodynamics of Alpine-Mediterranean belts because of its location between two converging plates, Europe and Africa. Most of Adria has been subducted and is presently surrounded by deformed margins comprising the Alps, Apennines, Dinarides and the Calabrian Arc. The Alps-Apennines and Alps-Dinarides junctions are marked by switches in subduction polarity, with Adria being the indenting upper plate in the Alps and the lower plate in the Apennines and Dinarides. Reconstructing Neogene motion and rotation of Adria is therefore key to understanding how such contrasting orogenic styles develop within a similar convergent tectonic regime. We propose a new kinematic reconstruction that balances shortening and extension in the northern Apennines; it reveals that Adria rotated counter-clockwise as it subducted beneath the European Plate to the west and to the east, while indenting the Alps to the north. Syn-collisional back-arc extension in the Liguro-Provençal and northern Tyrrhenian basins exceeds collisional shortening in the northern Apennines, indicating that after 20 Ma Adria and Europe diverged. When combined with existing estimates of Neogene shortening in the Western and Eastern Alps, this overall divergence in the Apennines constrains Adria to have moved to the NW while rotating counter-clockwise relative to Europe. We furthermore consider the length of the present Adriatic slab (135 km) imaged by P-wave tomography in the southern Dinarides to represent the maximum convergence since late Paleogene slab-breakoff, constraining Adria to have rotated 6.5˚ counter-clockwise about an axis in northwestern Italy. Thus, the best fit of available structural data from the Apennines, Alps and Dinarides constrains Adria to have moved 113 km to the NW (azimuth 325˚ ) while rotating 6.5˚ counter-clockwise relative to Europe since 20 Ma. Our model predicts some 80-100 km of Neogene extension between Adria and Africa, most likely accommodated along a NW-SE striking rift system on the African margin and by transtension along NW-SE striking transform faults in the Ionian Sea. We propose that this Neogene motion of Adria resulted from a combination of Africa pushing from the south, the Adriatic-Hellenic slab pulling to the northeast and crustal wedging in the Western Alps, which acted as a pivot and stopped further northwestward motion of Adria.

Last Glacial Maximum Dated by Means of 10Be in the Maritime Alps (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granger, D. E.; Spagnolo, M.; Federici, P.; Pappalardo, M.; Ribolini, A.; Cyr, A. J.

2006-12-01

Relatively few exposure dates of LGM moraines boulders are available for the European Alps, and none on the southern flank. Ponte Murato (PM) is a frontal moraine at 860 m asl in the Gesso Basin (Maritime Alps, SW European Alps). The PM moraine dams the 157 km2 Gesso della Barra Valley and it represents the lowermost frontal moraine of the entire Gesso Valley, near the outlet of the valley in the Po Plain. Its ELA, determined from the paleo- shape of the supposed Gesso della Barra glacier, is 1746 m asl. Tetti Bandito (TB) is a small and badly preserved glacial deposit, tentatively attributed to a lateral-frontal moraine, that is positioned 5 km downvalley from the PM deposit at 800 m asl. There are no other glacial deposits downvalley from the TB moraine in the Gesso Basin or farther NE in the piedmont region of the upper Po Plain. Boulders sampled on the PM and on the TB moraine crests gave a 10Be cosmogenic age of respectively 16300 ± 880 ka (average value) and 18798 ± 973 ka. This result constrains the PM frontal moraine within the LGM interval but also suggests that the maximum expansion of the Gesso Basin glacier was more downvalley at some point during the last glaciation. If the TB is a lateral-frontal moraine as supposed, the two TB and PM moraines would represent the outer and inner moraine crests of the same LGM stadial, with the outer moraine much less pronounced than the inner moraine, similarly to the maximalstand and the hochstand described in the Eastern Alps (Van Husen, 1997). Within this perspective, the PM and TB dates are consistent with a European Alps LGM corresponding to MIS 2 (Ivy-Ochs et al., 2004). This study of the Maritime Alps moraines is also in agreement with the Upper Würm climatic theory (Florineth and Schlüchter, 2000) of a stronger influence of the W and SW incoming humid airflows in the European Alps, differently from the nearby Vosges and Pyrenees mountain chains where more dry conditions were probably responsible for a very little glacial expansion during MIS 2 (Seret et al., 1990; Garcia-Ruiz et al., 2003).

Topographic evolution of a continental indenter: The eastern Southern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robl, Jörg; Heberer, Bianca; Prasicek, Günther; Neubauer, Franz; Hergarten, Stefan

2017-04-01

The topographic evolution of the eastern Southern Alps (ESA) is controlled by the Late Oligocene - Early Miocene indentation of the Adriatic microplate into an overthickened orogenic wedge emplaced on top of the European plate. Rivers follow topographic gradients that evolve during continental collision and in turn incise into bedrock counteracting the formation of topography. In principle, erosional surface processes tend to establish a topographic steady state so that an interpretation of topographic metrics in terms of the latest tectonic history should be straightforward. However, a series of complications impede deciphering the topographic record of the ESA. The Pleistocene glaciations locally excavated alpine valleys and perturbed fluvial drainages. The Late Miocene desiccation of the Mediterranean Sea and the uplift of the northern Molasse Basin led to significant base level changes in the far field of the ESA and the Eastern Alps (EA), respectively. Among this multitude of mechanisms, the processes that dominate the current topographic evolution of the ESA and the ESA-EA drainage divide have not been identified and a number of questions regarding the interaction of crustal deformation, erosion and climate in shaping the present-day topography remain. We demonstrate the expected topographic effects of each mechanism in a 1-dimensional model and compare them with observed channel metrics. Modern uplift rates are largely consistent with long-term exhumation in the ESA and with variations in the normalized steepness index (ksn) indicating a stable uplift and erosion pattern since Miocene times. We find that ksn increases with uplift rate and declines from the indenter tip in the northwest to the foreland basin in the southeast. The number and magnitude of knickpoints and the distortion in longitudinal channel profiles similarly decrease towards the east. Most knickpoints probably evolved during Pleistocene glaciation cycles, but may represent the incrementally reactivated, buried incision signal triggered by the Messinian desiccation of the Mediterranean Sea. Changes in slope of χ-transformed channel profiles coincide spatially with the Valsugana - Fella fault linking crustal stacking and uplift induced by indenter tectonics with topographic evolution. Gradients in χ across the ESA-EA drainage divide imply an ongoing, north-directed shift of the Danube-ESA watershed. This implies that ESA streams spread to the domain of the EA by drainage divide migration and river capture events. As already observed in the Adige catchment, the Periadriatic fault system loses its significance for the morphological evolution of the EA-ESA. The observed northward migration of the ESA-EA drainage divide is most likely driven by a base level rise in the northern Molasse basin, which leads to a growth of the ESA and Rhine catchments at the expense of the Danube drainage area. We conclude that the regional uplift pattern controls the geometry of ESA-EA channels, while base level changes in the far field control the overall architecture of the orogen by drainage divide migration (Robl et al., 2016). Robl, J., B. Heberer, G. Prasicek, F. Neubauer, and S. Hergarten (2016), The topography of a continental indenter: The interplay between crustal deformation, erosion and base level changes in the eastern Southern Alps, J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf., 121, doi:10.1002/2016JF003884.

Aerosol deposition (trace elements and black carbon) over the highest glacier of the Eastern European Alps during the last centuries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertò, Michele; Barbante, Carlo; Gabrieli, Jacopo; Gabrielli, Paolo; Spolaor, Andrea; Dreossi, Giuliano; Laj, Paolo; Zanatta, Marco; Ginot, Patrick; Fain, Xavier

2016-04-01

Ice cores are an archive of a wide variety of climatic and environmental information from the past, retaining them for hundreds of thousands of years. Anthropogenic pollutants, trace elements, heavy metals and major ions, are preserved as well providing insights on the past atmospheric circulations and allowing evaluating the human impact on the environment. Several ice cores were drilled in glaciers at mid and low latitudes, as in the European Alps. The first ice cores drilled to bedrock in the Eastern Alps were retrieved during autumn 2011 on the "Alto dell`Ortles glacier", the uppermost glacier of the Ortles massif (3905m, South Tirol, Italy), in the frame of the "Ortles Project". A preliminary dating of the core suggests that it should cover at least 300-400 years. Despite the summer temperature increase of the last decades this glacier still contain cold ice. Indeed, O and H isotopes profiles well describe the atmospheric warming as well as the low temperatures recorded during the Little Ice Age (LIA). Moreover, this glacier is located close to densely populated and industrialized areas and can be used for reconstructing for the first time past and recent air pollution and the human impact in the Eastern European Alps. The innermost part of the core is under analysis by means of a "Continuous Flow Analysis" system. This kind of analysis offers a high resolution in data profiles. The separation between the internal and the external parts of the core avoid any kind of contamination. An aluminum melting head melts the core at about 2.5 cm min-1. Simultaneous analyses of conductivity, dust concentration and size distribution (from 0.8 to 80 μm), trace elements with Inductive Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS, Agilent 7500) and refractory black carbon (rBC) with the Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2, Droplet Measurement Technologies) are performed. A fraction of the melt water is collected by an auto-sampler for further analysis. The analyzed elements are Li, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Ag, Cd, Sb, I, Ba, Pt, Tl, Pb and U. Trace elements concentrations in the Ortles snow are related to the emissions from the Po Valley, one of the most polluted region of Europe. The results show an increase in the concentration of many heavy metals due to anthropogenic emissions, mainly from the onset of the Industrial Revolution. rBC is one of the most important aerosol species affecting the climate system, particularly the glaciers, by modifying the radiative energy balance. A significant increase of rBC was found in the ice identifying this kind of aerosol as a responsible in forcing the end of the LIA.

Evidence of organic matter in the Ocean-Continent Transition of Alpine Tethys from Totalp, Eastern Swiss Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mateeva, Tsvetomila; Kusznir, Nick; Wolff, George; Wheeler, John; Manatschal, Gianreto

2015-04-01

Evidence from ocean ridge drilling and dredging and from the exhumed Tethyan continental margin in the Alps demonstrates that mantle serpentinization occurs at slow-spreading ocean ridges and magma-poor rifted continental margins. Observations at white smokers suggest that methane produced by serpentinization can support methanotrophic bio-systems which use methane as their only source of carbon. An important question is whether such biosystems are more generally pervasive in their association with serpentinized mantle in the subsurface. The answer to this question has important global implications for the importance of the hidden sub-surface bio-systems, the fate of methane and the carbon cycle. We examine whether serpentinized exhumed mantle at magma-poor rifted continental margins shows evidence for methanotrophy. Fieldwork sampling of km scale exposure of orogenically exhumed serpentinized mantle in the eastern Swiss Alps allows 3D mantle sampling not possible at ocean ridges and has the potential to answer the question regarding localized versus pervasive sub-surface methanotrophic biosystems. The Totalp massif in the eastern Swiss Alps has been chosen for an initial study to investigate the presence or absence of methanotrophic biosystem within serpentinized exhumed mantle in the Tethyan OCT. Totalp has little Alpine deformation and its metamorphism is no more than prehnite-pumpellyite grade. Hands specimens and cores have been taken from the Totalp area in order to sample serpentinization and its lithological diversity in the search for presence or absence of biomarkers. Thin sections analysis reveals multiple serpentinization events. XRD analysis shows complete serpentinization of the olivines and orthopyroxenes. The samples for bio-geochemical analysis were cut and ground to powder, processed by soxhlet extraction and then analysed by GC and GCMS in order to determine the full range of biomarkers. Total carbon and total organic carbon was also determined for the samples. Samples collected from the Totalp area show evidence of organic hydrocarbon in the form of alkanes. The majority of the samples contain n-alkanes in the range C20 - C32. Some samples contain isoprenoids in different concentrations dependent on their lithology, for example pristane and phytane are found in Totalp's sediments. The organic molecular distribution is consistent with the temperature history of the basin. Totalp samples are characterized by TC contents of 0.03% to 12.90% and TOC contents of 0.10% to 1.90%. This large range of values correlates with the large lithological diversity of this area. These first results from Totalp showing evidence for preserved organic matter and biosystems in the serpentinized mantle of the ancient Tethyan OCT are encouraging. Much more work is required to understand whether the organic matter is generated from methane-driven biosystems, and if so whether the methane originated from an organic or inorganic source?

U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic composition of zircons in Austrian last glacial loess: constraints on heavy mineral sources and sediment transport pathways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Újvári, Gábor; Klötzli, Urs

2015-07-01

Loess sediments in Austria deposited ca. 30-20 ka ago yield different zircon age signatures for samples collected around Krems (SE Bohemian Massif; samples K23 and S1) and Wels (halfway between the Bohemian Massif and the Eastern Alps; sample A16). Cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging reveals both old, multistage zircons with complex growth histories and inherited cores, and young, first-cycle magmatic zircons. Paleoproterozoic ages between 2,200 and 1,800 Ma (K23 and S1), an age gap of 1,800-1,000 Ma for S1 and abundant Cadomian grains, indicate NW African/North Gondwanan derivation of these zircons. Also, A16 yields ages between 630 and 600 Ma that can be attributed to "Pan-African" orogenic processes. Significant differences are seen for the <500 Ma part of the age spectra with major age peaks at 493-494 and 344-335 Ma (K23 and S1), and 477 and 287 Ma (A16). All three samples show negative initial ɛHf signatures (-25 to -10, except one grain with +9.4) implying zircon crystallization from magmas derived by recycling of older continental crust. Hf isotopic compositions of 330- to 320-Ma-old zircons from S1 and K23 preclude a derivation from Bavarian Forest granites and intermediate granitoids. Rather, all the data suggest strong contributions of eroded local rocks (South Bohemian pluton, Gföhl unit) to loess material at the SE edge of the Bohemian Massif (K23 and S1) and sourcing of zircons from sediment donor regions in the Eastern Alps for loess at Wels (A16). We tentatively infer primary fluvial transport and secondary eolian reworking and re-deposition of detritus from western/southwestern directions. Finally, our data highlight that loess zircon ages are fundamentally influenced by fluvial transport, its directions, the interplay of sediment donor regions through the mixing of detritus and zircon fertility of rocks, rather than Paleowind directions.

Photoinduced electron transfer between Fe(III) and adenosine triphosphate-BODIPY conjugates: Application to alkaline-phosphatase-linked immunoassay.

PubMed

Lin, Jia-Hui; Yang, Ya-Chun; Shih, Ya-Chen; Hung, Szu-Ying; Lu, Chi-Yu; Tseng, Wei-Lung

2016-03-15

Fluorescent boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) analogs are often used as sensors for detecting various species because of their relatively high extinction coefficients, outstanding fluorescence quantum yields, photostability, and pH-independent fluorescence. However, there is little-to-no information in the literature that describes the use of BODIPY analogs for detecting alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and inhibition. This study discovered that the fluorescence of BODIPY-conjugated adenosine triphosphate (BODIPY-ATP) was quenched by Fe(III) ions through photoinduced electron transfer. The ALP-catalyzed hydrolysis of BODIPY-ATP resulted in the formation of BODIPY-adenosine and phosphate ions. The fluorescence of the generated BODIPY-adenosine was insensitive to the change in the concentration of Fe(III) ions. Thus, the Fe(III)-induced fluorescence quenching of BODIPY-ATP can be paired with its ALP-mediated dephosphorylation to design a turn-on fluorescence probe for ALP sensing. A method detection limit at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 for ALP was estimated to be 0.02 units/L (~6 pM; 1 ng/mL). This probe was used for the screening of ALP inhibitors, including Na3VO4, imidazole, and arginine. Because ALP is widely used in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, the probe was coupled to an ALP-linked immunosorbent assay for the sensitive and selective detection of immunoglobulin G (IgG). The lowest detectable concentration for IgG in this system was 5 ng/mL. Compared with the use of 3,6-fluorescein diphosphate as a signal reporter in an ALP-linked immunosorbent assay, the proposed system provided comparable sensitivity, large linear range, and high stability over temperature and pH changes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Extreme Historical Droughts in the South-Eastern Alps — Analyses Based on Standardised Precipitation Index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brenčič, Mihael

2016-10-01

Droughts are natural phenomena affecting the environment and human activities. There are various drought definitions and quantitative indices; among them is the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI). In the drought investigations, historical events are poorly characterised and little data are available. To decipher past drought appearances in the southeastern Alps with a focus on Slovenia, precipitation data from HISTALP data repository were taken to identify extreme drought events (SPI ≤ -2.00) from the second half of the 19th century to the present day. Several long-term extreme drought crises were identified in the region (between the years 1888 and 1896; after World War I, during and after World War II). After 1968, drought patterns detected with SPI changed: shorter, extreme droughts with different time patterns appeared. SPI indices of different time spans showed correlated structures in space and between each other, indicating structured relations.

Morphological expression of active tectonics in the Southern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robl, Jörg; Heberer, Bianca; Neubauer, Franz; Hergarten, Stefan

2015-04-01

Evolving drainage pattern and corresponding metrics of the channels (e.g. normalized steepness index) are sensitive indicators for tectonic or climatic events punctuating the evolution of mountain belts and their associated foreland basins. The analysis of drainage systems and their characteristic properties represents a well-established approach to constrain the impact of tectonic and climatic drivers on mountainous landscapes in the recent past. The Southern Alps (SA) are one of the seismically most active zones in the periphery of northern Adria. Recent deformation is caused by the ongoing convergence of the Adriatic and European plate and is recorded by numerous earthquakes in the domain of the SA. Deformation in the SA is characterized by back-thrusting causing crustal thickening and should therefore result in uplift and topography formation. The vertical velocity field determined by GPS-data clearly indicates a belt of significant uplift in the south South alpine indenter between Lake Garda in the west and the Triglav in the east and strong subsidence of the foreland basin surrounding the Mediterranean Sea near Venice, although subsidence is often related to ongoing subduction of the Adriatic microplate underneath Appennines. Despite of these short term time series, timing, rates and drivers of alpine landscape evolution are not well constrained and the linkage between crustal deformation and topographic evolution of this highly active alpine segment remains unclear for the following reasons: (1) The eastern Southern Alps were heavily overprinted by the Pleistocene glaciations and tectonic signals in the alpine landscape are blurred. Only the transition zone to the southern foreland basin remained unaffected and allows an analysis of a glacially undisturbed topography. (2) The major part of this domain is covered by lithology (carbonatic rocks) which is unsuitable for low temperature geochronology and cosmogenic isotope dating so that exhumation and erosion rates are not well constrained for the entire domain. Despite of that, extensive karstification in some areas limits the validity of a morphometric analysis in particular of the upper reaches of the drainage system and leads to a long term persistence of landforms (e.g. plateaus). In this study we focus on the drainage pattern of the eastern Southern Alps and the adjacent southern foreland basin. We use a high-resolution digital elevation model and a novel numerical approach to extract characteristic parameters of the morphology for the entire eastern Southern Alps with a high spatial resolution. We explore deviations in the steepness of channels from an equilibrium state and knick-points in longitudinal channel profiles and interpret these features in terms of (a) active tectonics, and variable uplift rates, (b) lithological effects like erodibility contrasts and karstification, and (c) base level lowering caused by glacial erosion and Messinian preconditioning. The drainage system of the Adige shows the most significant deviations from a fluvial equilibrium. This is documented in the normalized steepness index of the main channel and all tributaries as well as in the longitudinal channel profile. The main channel shows several sections of downstream steepening and extremely low channel gradients in the lower reach. Similar deviations are also observed in the Brenta catchment situated east of the Adige drainage system. In contrast to the two large western catchments of the study region, the Piave and particularly the Tagliamento catchment show well graded channel profiles and uniform normalized steepness indices despite of the glacial history. This clear west to east trend from highly disturbed to overall well graded channels has never been documented before and may be explained in the light of increased uplift rates in the east and differences in onset and timing of topography formation between the western and eastern sector of the study region.

Structures, microfabrics and textures of the Cordilleran-type Rechnitz metamorphic core complex, Eastern Alps☆

PubMed Central

Cao, Shuyun; Neubauer, Franz; Bernroider, Manfred; Liu, Junlai; Genser, Johann

2013-01-01

Rechnitz window group represents a Cordilleran-style metamorphic core complex, which is almost entirely located within nearly contemporaneous Neogene sediments at the transition zone between the Eastern Alps and the Neogene Pannonian basin. Two tectonic units are distinguished within the Rechnitz metamorphic core complex (RMCC): (1) a lower unit mainly composed of Mesozoic metasediments, and (2) an upper unit mainly composed of ophiolite remnants. Both units are metamorphosed within greenschist facies conditions during earliest Miocene followed by exhumation and cooling. The internal structure of the RMCC is characterized by the following succession of structure-forming events: (1) blueschist relics of Paleocene/Eocene age formed as a result of subduction (D1), (2) ductile nappe stacking (D2) of an ophiolite nappe over a distant passive margin succession (ca. E–W to WNW–ESE oriented stretching lineation), (3) greenschist facies-grade metamorphism annealing dominant in the lower unit, and (4) ductile low-angle normal faulting (D3) (with mainly NE–SW oriented stretching lineation), and (5) ca. E to NE-vergent folding (D4). The microfabrics are related to mostly ductile nappe stacking to ductile low-angle normal faulting. Paleopiezometry in conjunction with P–T estimates yield high strain rates of 10− 11 to 10− 13 s− 1, depending on the temperature (400–350 °C) and choice of piezometer and flow law calibration. Progressive microstructures and texture analysis indicate an overprint of the high-temperature fabrics (D2) by the low-temperature deformation (D3). Phengitic mica from the Paleocene/Eocene high-pressure metamorphism remained stable during D2 ductile deformation as well as preserved within late stages of final sub-greenschist facies shearing. Chlorite geothermometry yields two temperature groups, 376–328 °C, and 306–132 °C. Chlorite is seemingly accessible to late-stage resetting. The RMCC underwent an earlier large-scale coaxial deformation accommodated by a late non-coaxial shear with ductile low-angle normal faulting, resulting in subvertical thinning in the extensional deformation regime. The RMCC was rapidly exhumed during ca. 23–18 Ma. PMID:27065502

From the valley floor to the peaks: Stratigraphy and landscape evolution of the Alpine Lateglacial in the Kitzbühel Alps (Tyrol, Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dippenaar, Elijah; Reitner, Jürgen

2017-04-01

Our understanding of Alpine landscape evolution and more specifically, chronology of glacier activity during the Alpine Lateglacial (ALG; c. 19 - 11.7 ka) i.e. the timespan between the Würmian Pleniglacial (= Alpine Last Glacial Maximum; AlpLGM) and the beginning of the Holocene, is based on the evidence of only few areas in the Alps. In order to get a better understanding of glaciation and palaeoclimate during this phase, N-S and E-W transects are needed. The Kitzbühel Alps, which are currently not glaciated, span an area of 1700km2 and have peaks that reach c. 2400m a.s.l. They lie at the center of the Eastern Alps on the northern rim, which is more humid than the relatively dry central parts. A modern geological investigation of the ALG record is missing in the Kitzbühel Alps. In order to overcome this gap of knowledge and to gain a more complete understanding of the ALG landscape development, a pioneering study has been performed in the area of Langer Grund Valley, a tributary valley of the Kelchsau Valley. This was done through detailed field mapping, thereby describing the shape and sediment composition of Quaternary morphological features, such as moraines, landslides and rock glacier deposits. Sedimentary evidence of one short glacial advance and two glacial stadials were identified. In chronological order they were named the: Frommbach advance, the Arnbach (glacier) halt and the Küharn halt. Where possible, palaeoglaciers were constructed using ArcGIS. With the palaeoglaciers, equlibrium line altitudes (ELA) were calculated and compared to ELA values of known glacial stadials in an attempt to correlate the relative local stratigraphy to the Lateglacial stratigraphy. Four methods to calculate ELAs were used; Maximum Elevation of Lateral Moraines (MELM), Toe to Headwall Altitude Ratio (THAR), Area x Altitude (AA) and Accumulation Area Ratio (AAR). Furthermore, the glacial sedimentary sequence of the study area was compared to that of the Gschnitz Valley (following the approach of Reitner et al. 2016). The result of which was that the glacial sedimentary sequences were very similar. Through the comparison of ELAs and sedimentary sequences, the Frommbach advance is correlated to the Phase of Ice-decay. Compared to the data of Reitner (2007) the Frommbach advance represents a second glacier advance in the Kelchsau Valley within this short-lasting phase around 19 ka. The Arnbach halt represents most likely the Gschnitz stadial (16-17 ka). The Küharn halt is correlated to the Younger Dryas-aged Egesen stadial (Younger Dryas; 12.8-11.7 ka). In addition, the relative timing of the activity of (nowadays relict) rock glaciers and of the onset of deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs) could be constrained based on the overlap of those features with the reconstructed glacial record. References: Reitner J.M., 2007: Glacial dynamics at the beginning of Termination I in the Eastern Alps and their stratigraphic implications. Quaternary International 164-165: 64-84. Reitner, J.M., Ivy-Ochs, S., Drescher-Schneider, R., Hajdas, I., Linner, M., 2016: Reconsidering the current stratigraphy of the Alpine Lateglacial: Implications of the sedimentary and morphological record of the Lienz area (Tyrol/Austria). E&G Quaternary Science Journal 65: 113-144.

Microstructural record of pressure solution and crystal plastic deformation in carbonate fault rocks from a shallow crustal strike-slip fault, Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, Helene; Rogowitz, Anna; Grasemann, Benhard; Decker, Kurt

2017-04-01

This study presents microstructural investigations of natural carbonate fault rocks that formed by a suite of different deformation processes, involving hydro-fracturing, dissolution-precipitation creep and cataclasis. Some fault rocks show also clear indications of crystal plastic deformation, which is quite unexpected, as the fault rocks were formed in an upper crustal setting, raising the question of possible strongly localised, low temperature ductile deformation in carbonate rocks. The investigated carbonate fault rocks are from an exhumed, sinistral strike-slip fault at the eastern segment of the Salzachtal-Ennstal-Mariazell-Puchberg (SEMP) fault system in the Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria). The SEMP fault system formed during eastward lateral extrusion of the Eastern Alps in the Oligocene to Lower Miocene. Based on vitrinite reflectance data form intramontane Teritary basins within the Northern Calcareous Alps, a maximum burial depth of 4 km for the investigated fault segment is estimated. The investigated fault accommodated sinistral slip of several hundreds of meters. Microstructural analysis of fault rocks includes scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy and electron backscattered diffraction mapping. The data show that fault rocks underwent various stages of evolution including early intense veining (hydro-fracturing) and stylolite formation reworked by localised shear zones. Cross cutting relationship reveals that veins never cross cut clay seams accumulated along stylolites. We conclude that pressure solution processes occured after hydro-fracturing. Clay enriched zones localized further deformation, producing a network of small-scale clay-rich shear zones of up to 1 mm thickness anastomosing around carbonate microlithons, varying from several mm down to some µm in size. Clay seams consist of kaolinit, chlorite and illite matrix and form (sub) parallel zones in which calcite was dissolved. Beside pressure solution, calcite microlithons show also ductile deformation microstructures, including deformation twinning, undulose extinction, subgrain rotation recrystallization and even grain boundary migration. Especially coarse grained calcites from veins localized ductile deformation and record dislocation glide. The investigated fault rocks are excellent examples of frictional, pressure solution and crystal plastic deformation processes. We speculated that crystal plastic deformation typical for higher metamorphic shear zones in marbles, can be either produced under much lower temperature conditions or the temperature necessary for crystal plastic deformation was generated by frictional slip or strain heating within the fault zone.

Molecular Characterization of Streptococcus agalactiae Isolated from Bovine Mastitis in Eastern China

PubMed Central

Yang, Yongchun; Liu, Yinglong; Ding, Yunlei; Yi, Li; Ma, Zhe; Fan, Hongjie; Lu, Chengping

2013-01-01

One hundred and two Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococcus [GBS]) isolates were collected from dairy cattle with subclinical mastitis in Eastern China during 2011. Clonal groups were established by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), respectively. Capsular polysaccharides (CPS), pilus and alpha-like-protein (Alp) family genes were also characterized by molecular techniques. MLST analysis revealed that these isolates were limited to three clonal groups and were clustered in six different lineages, i.e. ST (sequence type) 103, ST568, ST67, ST301, ST313 and ST570, of which ST568 and ST570 were new genotypes. PFGE analysis revealed this isolates were clustered in 27 PFGE types, of which, types 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 18, 23 and 25 were the eight major types, comprising close to 70% (71/102) of all the isolates. The most prevalent sequence types were ST103 (58% isolates) and ST568 (31% isolates), comprising capsular genotype Ia isolates without any of the detected Alp genes, suggesting the appearance of novel genomic backgrounds of prevalent strains of bovine S. agalactiae. All the strains possessed the pilus island 2b (PI-2b) gene and the prevalent capsular genotypes were types Ia (89% isolates) and II (11% isolates), the conserved pilus type providing suitable data for the development of vaccines against mastitis caused by S. agalactiae. PMID:23874442

Early Holocene (8.6 ka) rock avalanche deposits, Obernberg valley (Eastern Alps): Landform interpretation and kinematics of rapid mass movement

PubMed Central

Ostermann, Marc; Sanders, Diethard; Ivy-Ochs, Susan; Alfimov, Vasily; Rockenschaub, Manfred; Römer, Alexander

2012-01-01

In the Obernberg valley, the Eastern Alps, landforms recently interpreted as moraines are re-interpreted as rock avalanche deposits. The catastrophic slope failure involved an initial rock volume of about 45 million m³, with a runout of 7.2 km over a total vertical distance of 1330 m (fahrböschung 10°). 36Cl surface-exposure dating of boulders of the avalanche mass indicates an event age of 8.6 ± 0.6 ka. A 14C age of 7785 ± 190 cal yr BP of a palaeosoil within an alluvial fan downlapping the rock avalanche is consistent with the event age. The distal 2 km of the rock-avalanche deposit is characterized by a highly regular array of transverse ridges that were previously interpreted as terminal moraines of Late-Glacial. ‘Jigsaw-puzzle structure’ of gravel to boulder-size clasts in the ridges and a matrix of cataclastic gouge indicate a rock avalanche origin. For a wide altitude range the avalanche deposit is preserved, and the event age of mass-wasting precludes both runout over glacial ice and subsequent glacial overprint. The regularly arrayed transverse ridges thus were formed during freezing of the rock avalanche deposits. PMID:24966447

Solar dimming above temperate forests and its impact on local climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tudoroiu, M.; Genesio, L.; Gioli, B.; Schume, H.; Knohl, A.; Brümmer, C.; Miglietta, F.

2018-06-01

Vegetation has a substantial impact on the local climate. Land cover changes through afforestation or deforestation can amplify or mitigate climate warming by changes in biophysical and biogeochemical mechanisms. In the montane to subalpine area of the Eastern Alps in Europe, where forests have constantly expanded in the last four decades, data of meteorological stations show a consistent reduction in incoming global radiation for the period 2000–2015. To assess the potential role of forests in contributing to such a reduction, three site pairs in Central Europe with neighbouring forest and non-forest sites were analysed. In all the pairs, a lower amount of incoming radiation was recorded at the forest site. When biophysical mechanisms such as albedo, surface roughness and Bowen ratio changes were modelled together with changes in global radiation, the total radiative forcing accounted for a rate of change in air temperature was equal to 0.032 °C ± 0.01 °C per Wm‑2. These results suggest that local climate is influenced by land cover change through afforestation both via albedo and radiation feedbacks but also by means of indirect biophysical and species-dependent mechanisms. The data obtained for the site pairs in Central Europe are finally discussed to infer the occurrence of similar forest-driven effects in the Eastern Alps which may explain part of the solar dimming observed in high elevation weather stations.

Microstructural record of cataclastic and dissolution-precipitation processes from shallow crustal carbonate strike-slip faults, Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, Helene; Grasemann, Bernhard; Decker, Kurt

2015-04-01

The concept of coseismic slip and aseismic creep deformation along faults is supported by the variability of natural fault rocks and their microstructures. Faults in carbonate rocks are characterized by very narrow principal slip zones (cm to mm wide) containing (ultra)cataclastic fault rocks that accommodate most of the fault displacement. Fluidization of ultracataclastic sub layers and thermal decomposition of calcite due to frictional heating have been proposed as possible indicators for seismic slip. Dissolution-precipitation (DP) processes are possible mechanism of aseismic sliding, resulting in spaced cleavage solution planes and associated veins, indicating diffusive mass transfer and precipitation in pervasive vein networks. We investigated exhumed, sinistral strike-slip faults in carbonates of the Northern Calcareous Alps. The study presents microstructural investigations of natural carbonate fault rocks that formed by cataclastic and dissolution-precipitation related deformation processes. Faults belong to the eastern segment of the Salzachtal-Ennstal-Mariazell-Puchberg (SEMP) fault system that was formed during eastward lateral extrusion of the Eastern Alps in Oligocene to Lower Miocene. The investigated faults accommodated sinistral slip between several tens and few hundreds of meters. Microstructural analysis of fault rocks was done with scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy. Deformation experiments of natural fault rocks are planned to be conducted at the Sapienza University of Roma and should be available at the meeting. The investigated fault rocks give record of alternating cataclastic deformation and DP creep. DP fault rocks reveal various stages of evolution including early stylolites, pervasive pressure solution seams and cleavage, localized shear zones with syn-kinematic calcite fibre growth and mixed DP/cataclastic microstructures, involving pseudo sc- and scc'-fabrics. Pressure solution seams host fine grained kaolinit, chlorite and illite while the protolith shows only weak evidence of detrital clay content. Our studies suggest that velocity weakening and strengthening mechanisms alternated during the accumulation of displacement along the SEMP fault zone.

Love and Rayleigh wave dispersion from regional Ambient Noise Tomography in the Eastern Alps of Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behm, Michael; Nakata, Nori; Bianchi, Irene; Bokelmann, Götz

2014-05-01

ALPASS is an international passive seismic monitoring experiment aimed at understanding the upper mantle structure in the in the European Eastern Alps. Data were collected from May 2005 to June 2006 at about 50 locations with an average spacing of 20 km, and have been used for teleseismic travel time tomography and receiver function analysis in previous studies. We combine the ALPASS data from 23 broadband stations with additional data from the temporary CBP (Carpathian Basin Project) network (15 stations), and present results from ambient noise tomography applied to the region covering the easternmost part of the Alps and its transition to the adjacent tectonic provinces (Vienna Basin, Bohemian Massif, Dinarides). By turning each station into a virtual source, we are able to recover surface waves in the frequency range of 0.05 - 0.5 Hz, which are sensitive to depths of approximately 2 - 15 kilometers. The three-component recordings allow distinguishing between Rayleigh waves on the vertical/radial components and Love waves on the transverse component. On average, the Love waves have higher apparent velocity by about 15%. Owing to dense receiver spacing and high S/N ratio of the obtained interferograms, we are able to derive a large set of dispersion curves. The complicated 3D structure of the investigated region calls for a tomographic approach to transform these dispersion curves to be representative of local 1D structures. The results correlate well with surface geology and provide the input to inversion for the vertical shear-wave velocity distribution. Compared to data from active source experiments, we derive lower average shear wave velocities. This observation is comparable to receiver functions analysis which show a high Vp/Vs ratio for the area of the Molasse basin, where the shear wave velocities retrieved from the surface wave inversion are in particular low.

Investigating cold based summit glaciers through direct access to the glacier base: a case study constraining the maximum age of Chli Titlis glacier, Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohleber, Pascal; Hoffmann, Helene; Kerch, Johanna; Sold, Leo; Fischer, Andrea

2018-01-01

Cold glaciers at the highest locations of the European Alps have been investigated by drilling ice cores to retrieve their stratigraphic climate records. Findings like the Oetztal ice man have demonstrated that small ice bodies at summit locations of comparatively lower altitudes may also contain old ice if locally frozen to the underlying bedrock. In this case, constraining the maximum age of their lowermost ice part may help to identify past periods with minimum ice extent in the Alps. However, with recent warming and consequent glacier mass loss, these sites may not preserve their unique climate information for much longer. Here we utilized an existing ice cave at Chli Titlis (3030 m), central Switzerland, to perform a case study for investigating the maximum age of cold-based summit glaciers in the Alps. The cave offers direct access to the glacier stratigraphy without the logistical effort required in ice core drilling. In addition, a pioneering exploration had already demonstrated stagnant cold ice conditions at Chli Titlis, albeit more than 25 years ago. Our englacial temperature measurements and the analysis of the isotopic and physical properties of ice blocks sampled at three locations within the ice cave show that cold ice still exists fairly unchanged today. State-of-the-art micro-radiocarbon analysis constrains the maximum age of the ice at Chli Titlis to about 5000 years before present. By this means, the approach presented here will contribute to a future systematic investigation of cold-based summit glaciers, also in the Eastern Alps.

Cretaceous to Tertiary paleogeographic reconstructions of the Alps-Pyrenees linking zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frasca, Gianluca; Dielforder, Armin; Ford, Mary; Vergés, Jaume

2017-04-01

The northwestern Mediterranean subduction systems underwent an important phase of reorganization between Late Cretaceous and Eocene. The mode and timing of this reorganization are still under debate. Great uncertainties mainly derive from the poorly preserved record of the early phases of orogenic evolution in both the Alps and Pyrenees and the distruction of the orogenic system between the Pyrenees and Alps by the Oligo-Miocene opening of the Gulf of Lion due to backarc rifting. Vestiges are nevertheless preserved in the Pyreneo-Provençal fold-and-thrust belt and associated basins in southern France and Corsica-Sardinia. In this work we first review published plate kinematic models for Iberia, Apulia and Europe from 83 Ma, focusing in particular on the restoration of the Corso-Sardinia block using the free software GPlates. Second, we characterize the Upper Cretaceous to Eocene depositional systems at the junction between the Alps, Pyrenees and Apennines, reviewing previous paleogeographic restorations for the Western Alpine and Eastern Pyrenean foreland basins. Last, we compare the kinematic models with reconstructed basin dynamics. We critically assess the implications of newly proposed paleogeographic reconstructions (at 83, 65, 50, 37 and 30 Ma) for the validity of various plate kinematic models. The information derived from the sedimentary basins help to define the mode and timing of the subduction reorganization that occurred between 83 and 30 Ma in the northwestern Mediterranean. This study is part of the Orogen research program funded by Total, the BRGM (Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières), the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique).

The Haselgebirge evaporitic mélange in central Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria): Part of the Permian to Lower Triassic rift of the Meliata ocean?

PubMed

Schorn, Anja; Neubauer, Franz; Genser, Johann; Bernroider, Manfred

2013-01-11

For the reconstruction of Alpine tectonics of the Eastern Alps, the evaporitic Permian to Lower Triassic Haselgebirge Formation plays a key role in (1) the origin of Haselgebirge bearing nappes, (2) the inclusion of magmatic and metamorphic rocks revealing tectonic processes not preserved in other units, and (3) the debated mode of emplacement of the nappes, namely gravity-driven or tectonic. Within the Moosegg quarry of the central Northern Calcareous Alps gypsum/anhydrite bodies are tectonically mixed with lenses of sedimentary rocks and decimeter- to meter-sized tectonic clasts of plutonic and subvolcanic rocks and rare metamorphics. We examined various types of (1) widespread biotite-diorite, meta-syenite, (2) meta-dolerite and rare ultramafic rocks (serpentinite, pyroxenite) as well as (3) rare metamorphic banded meta-psammitic schists and meta-doleritic blueschists. The apparent 40 Ar/ 39 Ar biotite ages from three biotite-diorite, meta-dolerite and meta-doleritic blueschist samples with variable composition and fabrics range from 248 to 270 Ma (e.g., 251.2 ± 1.1 Ma) indicating a Permian age of cooling after magma crystallisation or metamorphism. The chemical composition of biotite-diorite and meta-syenite indicates an alkaline trend interpreted to represent a rift-related magmatic suite. These, as well as Permian to Jurassic sedimentary rocks, were incorporated during Cretaceous nappe emplacement forming the sulphatic Haselgebirge mélange. The scattered 40 Ar/ 39 Ar white mica ages of a meta-doleritic blueschist (of N-MORB origin) and banded meta-psammitic schist are ca. 349 and 378 Ma, respectively, proving the Variscan age of pressure-dominated metamorphism. These ages are similar to detrital white mica ages reported from the underlying Rossfeld Formations, indicating a close source-sink relationship. According to our new data, the Haselgebirge bearing nappe was transported over the Lower Cretaceous Rossfeld Formations, which include many clasts derived from the Haselgebirge Formation and its exotic blocks deposited in front of the incoming nappe comprising the Haselgebirge Formation.

From Tethyan Oceans to the Western Mediterranean I - Plate reconstructions from the Present back to the Early Mesozoic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmid, Stefan; Handy, Mark; Bousquet, Romain; Kissling, Eduard; Bernoulli, Daniel

2010-05-01

A new reconstruction of the branches of Alpine Tethys combines available plate kinematic models of Africa-Europe motion with a wealth of new geological and geophysical data (seismic tomography and paleomagnetics) to shed light the evolution of the Western Mediterranean-Alps system, from sea-floor spreading through subduction to collision. Unlike previous models which relate the fate of Alpine Tethys solely to relative motions of the African plate with respect to Europe during opening of the Atlantic, our reconstruction invokes motions and rotations of four additional and temporarily independent microplates: Adria, Iberia, Alcapia and Alkapecia. Translations and rotations of these microplates with respect to Europe are constrained in the following way: (1) The retro-translations of Adria back to 94 Ma are obtained from shortening estimates in the Alps along geological-geophysical transects of the Alpine orogen and from geobarometric estimates of subduction depth in tectonic units that underwent high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism. Rotations are based on paleomagnetic data of Márton et al. (in press); (2) Iberia follows the motion paths of Savostin et al. (1986), based on magnetic anomalies in the Central and Northern Atlantic; the Corsica-Sardinia block later rifted from Iberia leading to Burdigalian opening of the Liguria-Provençal basin (Serranne 1999). (3) The Alcapia microplate, whose name is derived from the acronym ALCAPA (Alps-Carpathians-Pannonian Basin), separated from Adria in Cretaceous times. Its movement with respect to Adria was absorbed by Cretaceous orogeny in the Eastern Alps, constrained by the Adria-Europe displacement and rotation path; later, during Cenozoic orogeny in the Alps, associated with the closing of the Alpine Tethys, it became part of the Adria microplate again. (4) The introduction of an independent Alkapekia continental fragment and independent microplate during the Late Cenozoic only (Alboran-Kabylia-Peloritani-Calabria; Michard et al. 2002) is rendered necessary for two principal reasons: (a) the contrasting tectonometamorphic evolution of the West Ligurian Ocean (future Alps-Corsica-Betics) and the East Ligurian Ocean (future Apennine) make it necessary to kinematically decouple the fate of these two branches of Alpine Tethys located on opposite sides of the Alkapekia continental block; (b) Alkapecia that was formerly part of the African and/or Adriatic plate overrode parts of the Iberian, African and Adria plates as an independent continental microplate during Late Cenozoic rollback subduction leading to the present-day Betic-Rif arc and the Calabrian Trench-Arc system. Our complex five-plate model provides an explanation of the equally complex evolution of the Western Mediterranean-Alps system, as discussed in part II of this contribution (Handy et al.). Márton, E., Zampieri, D., Grandesso, P., Ćosović, V., Moro, A., submitted to Tectonophysics. New Cretaceous paleomagnetic results from the foreland of the Southern Alps and the refined apparent polar wander path for stable Adria. Savostin, L.A., Sibuet, J.-C., Zonenshain, L.P., Le Pichon, X., Roulet, M.-J., 1986. Kinematic evolution of the Tethys belt from the Atlantic ocean to the Pamire since the Triassic. Tectonophysics 123: 1-35. Séranne, M., 1999. The Gulf of Lion continental margin (NW Mediterranean) revisited by IBS: an overview. In: B. Durand, L. Jolivet, F. Horvath, M. Séranne (Editors), The Mediterranean Basins: Tertiary Extension within the Alpine Orogen. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 156: 15-36. Michard, A., Chalouan, A., Feinberg, H., Goffé, B., Montigny, R., 2002. How does the Alpine belt end between Spain and Morocco? Bullétin Societé géologique de France 173: 3-15.

[Diversity of soil archaea in Tibetan Mila Mountains].

PubMed

Meng, Xiangwei; Mao, Zhenchuan; Chen, Guohua; Yang, Yuhong; Xie, Bingyan

2009-08-01

In order to study the diversity of archaea and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the alp prairie soil in Mila Mountain of Tibet. Total microbial DNA was directly extracted from the alp prairie of Mila Mountain. The clone library of 16S rRNA genes and amoA genes were amplified by PCR with universal primer sets. The sequences of archaea and AOA were defined into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) according to the 97% similarity threshold for OTU assignment was performed using the software program DOTUR. Phylogenetic analysis revealed archaea in the soil of Mila Mountain including the Crenarchaeota (71.7%) and unclassified-Archaea (28.3%) phyla. All the Crenarchaeota belong to the Thermoprotei. Phylogenetic analysis revealed AOA in the alp prairie soil of Mila Mountain belonged to the kingdom Crenarchaeota. Archaea and AOA species composition from Mila Mountain included 64 OTUs and 75 OTUs. These findings show prolific archaeal diversity in the alp prairie soil of Mila Mountain, where they may be actively involved in nitrification.

Pleistocene alterations of drainage network between the Alps and the Pannonian Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovács, G.

2012-04-01

The investigated study area is situated in the transition zone between the still uplifting Eastern Alps and the subsiding Little Hungarian Plain (Joó 1992), bordered by Lafnitz (Lapincs), Répce (Rabnitz) and Rába (Raab) rivers. The contrasting forcing of the regions of differential uplift created a distinctive surface morphology of typically low relief that has a characteristic drainage network pattern as well. Our study is aimed at the reconstruction of the surface evolution by separation of individual geomorphic domains delineated by their geomorphometric characteristics. The hilly area is mostly covered by Miocene sediments. The mesoscale geomorphological units of the study area are influenced by the uplifting metamorphic core complex of Koszeg-Rechnitz Mountains (Tari - Horváth 1995), by the also metamorphic and relatively uplifting Vas Hill as well as by the subsiding grabens. There are two dominant flow directions alternating downstream. Valley segments are often bordered by steep scarps, which were identified by previous research as listric normal faults and grabens. Largely, the investigated area consists of tilted blocks bordered by 30-60 m high and steep, fault-related escarpments as it was demonstrated by the analysis of lignite layers, topographic sections and topographic swath analyses (Kovács et al. 2010, Kovács et al. 2011). Drainage network reorganizations occurred in several steps during the Pleistocene. Corresponding landforms are abrupt changes in stream direction, wind gaps, uplifted terrace levels built up of sedimentary rocks and wide alluvial valleys. Terraces are best developed along the Strem stream, which has a strikingly small drainage area at present, due to the Pinka River, which captured the upper parts of the drainage basin. The widest valley belongs to Pinka River. Drainage reorganizations are most likely due to the uplifting scarps that diverted the streams. Remainders of previous cross-valleys are wind gaps. Using these markers (wide alluvial valleys with relatively small streams, terrace levels and wind gaps) and the different height of the scarps we roughly elaborated the geomorphological development of the area, including relative age of drainage network elements, tectonic features and river captures. Results indicate a detailed but still regionally dissected timeline about drainage network alterations, including phases of gravel sedimentation, incision and beheadings. The abstract titled "Pleistocene alteration of drainage network and surface morphology caused by basement structure in the foreland of Eastern Alps" determine the origin of the investigated scarps. This paper was supported by Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA NK83400). Joó, I. (1992): Recent vertical surface movements in the Carpathian Basin. Tectonophysics 202: 129-134. Kovács, G., Telbisz, T., Székely, B. (2010) Faulted and eroded gravel deposit in western Hungary. - Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 12. EGU General Assembly 2010. Kovács, G., Telbisz, T., Székely, B. (2011) Quaternary alterations of drainage network in a transition area between the Alps and the Pannonian Basin. - Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 13. EGU General Assembly 2011. Tari, G. and Horváth, F. (1995): Middle Miocene extensional collapse in the Alpine-Pannonian transitional zone, in: Horváth, F., Tari, G., and Bokor, K. (Eds.): Extensional collapse of the Alpine orogene and hydrocarbon prospects in the basement and fill of the western Pannonian Basin, AAPG Inter. Conf. and Exhib., Nice, France, Guidebook to fieldtrip No. 6, 75-105

Provenance Analysis of Lower Miocene Sediments in the Lower Austrian Molasse Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knierzinger, Wolfgang; Palzer, Markus; Wagreich, Michael

2015-04-01

In the Early Miocene (Late Ottnangian) a global drop of the sea level and the continuous rise of the Alps caused a regression of the Paratethys. During this time interval the Traisen Formation (formerly Oncophora beds) was deposited in the Lower Austrian Molasse Basin. These yellowish-brownish to greyish mica-rich and carbonate-free sands and silts with clayish interlayers were originally named after a brackish water bivalve ("Oncophora"- now Rzehakia). The southeastern part of the TF partly interfingers with finer sands of the Dietersdorf Formation (DF). The Pixendorf Group combines the TF and the DF [coarse sands, conglomerates, blocks] of the Upper Ottnangian lithostratigraphic units in Lower Austria. West to the Waschberg Zone a deeper-water environment (so called Oncophora beds in former literature, herein [informally] renamed to Wildendürnbach Member) with sediment gravity flows (turbidites, muddy/sandy slumps) is inferred from OMV well data. Examinations of these fine sandstones, silts and laminated pelites have been carried out on the basis of the Wildendürnbach-4 OMV drilling core. Analyses of the TF revealed rather homogenous heavy mineral assemblages, dominated by high amounts of garnet (~65%) and relatively high amounts of epidote/zoisite (~10%) and amphiboles (~10%). Conducted surveys point towards a primary influence of metamorphic (metapelitic) source rocks of Austroalpine Crystalline Complexes of the rising Eastern Alps. Heavy mineral analysis of the WDK-4 drilling core showed even higher amounts of garnet (~80%) combined with minor amounts of rutile, staurolite, apatite, epidote/zoisite, tourmalines, zircon and amphiboles. Consistent heavy mineral assemblages and chemical data (EMPA) suggest a stratigraphical correlation with the Křepice Formation and the Ždánice-Hustopeče Formation in the Czech Republic and sedimentary influence from the Western Carpathian Flysch Belt.

Detecting Human Presence at the Border of the Northeastern Italian Pre-Alps. 14C Dating at Rio Secco Cave as Expression of the First Gravettian and the Late Mousterian in the Northern Adriatic Region

PubMed Central

Talamo, Sahra; Peresani, Marco; Romandini, Matteo; Duches, Rossella; Jéquier, Camille; Nannini, Nicola; Pastoors, Andreas; Picin, Andrea; Vaquero, Manuel; Weniger, Gerd-Christian; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

2014-01-01

In the northern Adriatic regions, which include the Venetian region and the Dalmatian coast, late Neanderthal settlements are recorded in few sites and even more ephemeral are remains of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic occupations. A contribution to reconstruct the human presence during this time range has been produced from a recently investigated cave, Rio Secco, located in the northern Adriatic region at the foot of the Carnic Pre-Alps. Chronometric data make Rio Secco a key site in the context of recording occupation by late Neanderthals and regarding the diffusion of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic culture in a particular district at the border of the alpine region. As for the Gravettian, its diffusion in Italy is a subject of on-going research and the aim of this paper is to provide new information on the timing of this process in Italy. In the southern end of the Peninsula the first occupation dates to around 28,000 14C BP, whereas our results on Gravettian layer range from 29,390 to 28,995 14C years BP. At the present state of knowledge, the emergence of the Gravettian in eastern Italy is contemporaneous with several sites in Central Europe and the chronological dates support the hypothesis that the Swabian Gravettian probably dispersed from eastern Austria. PMID:24759802

Detecting human presence at the border of the Northeastern Italian Pre-Alps. 14C dating at Rio Secco cave as expression of the first Gravettian and the late mousterian in the Northern Adriatic Region.

PubMed

Talamo, Sahra; Peresani, Marco; Romandini, Matteo; Duches, Rossella; Jéquier, Camille; Nannini, Nicola; Pastoors, Andreas; Picin, Andrea; Vaquero, Manuel; Weniger, Gerd-Christian; Hublin, Jean-Jacques

2014-01-01

In the northern Adriatic regions, which include the Venetian region and the Dalmatian coast, late Neanderthal settlements are recorded in few sites and even more ephemeral are remains of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic occupations. A contribution to reconstruct the human presence during this time range has been produced from a recently investigated cave, Rio Secco, located in the northern Adriatic region at the foot of the Carnic Pre-Alps. Chronometric data make Rio Secco a key site in the context of recording occupation by late Neanderthals and regarding the diffusion of the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic culture in a particular district at the border of the alpine region. As for the Gravettian, its diffusion in Italy is a subject of on-going research and the aim of this paper is to provide new information on the timing of this process in Italy. In the southern end of the Peninsula the first occupation dates to around 28,000 14C BP, whereas our results on Gravettian layer range from 29,390 to 28,995 14C years BP. At the present state of knowledge, the emergence of the Gravettian in eastern Italy is contemporaneous with several sites in Central Europe and the chronological dates support the hypothesis that the Swabian Gravettian probably dispersed from eastern Austria.

Ecological differentiation, lack of hybrids involving diploids, and asymmetric gene flow between polyploids in narrow contact zones of Senecio carniolicus (syn. Jacobaea carniolica, Asteraceae).

PubMed

Hülber, Karl; Sonnleitner, Michaela; Suda, Jan; Krejčíková, Jana; Schönswetter, Peter; Schneeweiss, Gerald M; Winkler, Manuela

2015-03-01

Areas of immediate contact of different cytotypes offer a unique opportunity to study evolutionary dynamics within heteroploid species and to assess isolation mechanisms governing coexistence of cytotypes of different ploidy. The degree of reproductive isolation of cytotypes, that is, the frequency of heteroploid crosses and subsequent formation of viable and (partly) fertile hybrids, plays a crucial role for the long-term integrity of lineages in contact zones. Here, we assessed fine-scale distribution, spatial clustering, and ecological niches as well as patterns of gene flow in parental and hybrid cytotypes in zones of immediate contact of di-, tetra-, and hexaploid Senecio carniolicus (Asteraceae) in the Eastern Alps. Cytotypes were spatially separated also at the investigated microscale; the strongest spatial separation was observed for the fully interfertile tetra- and hexaploids. The three main cytotypes showed highly significant niche differences, which were, however, weaker than across their entire distribution ranges in the Eastern Alps. Individuals with intermediate ploidy levels were found neither in the diploid/tetraploid nor in the diploid/hexaploid contact zones indicating strong reproductive barriers. In contrast, pentaploid individuals were frequent in the tetraploid/hexaploid contact zone, albeit limited to a narrow strip in the immediate contact zone of their parental cytotypes. AFLP fingerprinting data revealed introgressive gene flow mediated by pentaploid hybrids from tetra- to hexaploid individuals, but not vice versa. The ecological niche of pentaploids differed significantly from that of tetraploids but not from hexaploids.

Orogen-scale anticline revealed in the Southern Alps of New Zealand by structural thermochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Renjie; Brandon, Mark

2017-04-01

A dense set of cooling ages from the Southern Alps reveals an orogen-scale anticline of cooling-age isosurfaces (isochrones) and provides an interesting example of structural thermochronology, where isochrones are used as structural markers. The isochrone concept is an integral aspect of the age-elevation method, but the latter implicitly assumes that all isochrones are horizontal. Our experience in New Zeland and elsewhere is that isochrones are commonly tilted after formation. We use a more general approach that solves for orientation of the isochrone surfaces, and also the slope of the age-elevation trend, where "elevation" is measured normal to the isochrone surfaces. In New Zealand, collision and convergence between the Pacific and Australian plates have resulted in the formation and continuing growth of the Southern Alps, a prototypical orogenic wedge. In the western side, the Southern Alps is bounded by the Alpine fault, along with deeply exhumed rocks from depths up to 25 km. There are 150 apatite and 200 zircon fission-track (AFT, ZFT) ages that cover the vast region of the South Island of New Zealand from Lake Summer to Lake Wanaka. The AFT ages range from <0.5 to 140 Ma, and the ZFT ages, from <0.5 to 400 Ma. Our approach was initiated by McPhillips and Brandon (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2010, doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2010.05.022). We use a least-squares method to solve for a best-fit sequence of dipping isochrone surfaces. The solution specifies the strike, dip and spacing of the parallel isochrones, the last of which indicates the velocity of the isochrones passing through the closure depth. We find that the calculation of the entire dataset failed to yield reasonable results, implying nonplanar structures at the regional scale. Using subsets of data, we observed three distinct zones of isochrones from E to W across the South Island. 1) The large area east of the Southern Alps in the central South Island contains ZFT isochrones that dip shallowly (< 1-5 degrees) to the east, with ages of 100 Ma and older. The spacing of the isochrones is narrow and indicates low ( 10-100 m/Ma) velocity crossing the closure depth of the samples. 2) In the eastern flank of the Southern Alps, the isochrone dip increases to 5-20 degrees with younger ages, 50 to < 5 Ma, and a much wide spacing of 1000-2000 m/Ma. 3) In the western flank of the Southern Alps around the Mount Cook, the isochrones have a similarly young age and spacing, but dip 10-30 degrees to the west. Collectively, these observations indicate an anticlinal structure across the Southern Alps. We have shown previously that cooling ages provide a kind of upside-down stratigraphy, with age surfaces (isochrones) formed at the closure isotherm and becoming older above that horizon. The isochrones first form as nearly horizontal surfaces and then serve as passive markers of deformation above the closure isotherm. We suggest that the isochrones exposed in the east flank of Southern Alps were formed and tilted to the east as they were advected through the large east-dipping retroshear zone that underlies the Southern Alps. In contrast, the west-dipping isochrones exposed in the west flank of the Southern Alps were formed within the retroshear zone, and their west dip is probably due to shear-induced rotation.

The Geomorphological Evolution of a Landscape in a Tectonically Active Region: the Sennwald Landslide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aksay, Selçuk; Ivy-Ochs, Susan; Hippe, Kristina; Graemiger, Lorenz; Vockenhuber, Christof

2016-04-01

The Säntis nappe is a fold-and-thrust structure in eastern Switzerland consisting of numerous tectonic discontinuities that make rocks vulnerable to rock failure. The Sennwald landslide is one of those events that occurred due to the failure of Lower Cretaceous Helvetic limestones. This study reveals the surface exposure age of the event in relation to geological and tectonic setting, earthquake frequency of the Central Alps, and regional scale climate/weather influence. Our study comprises detailed mapping of landform features, thin section analysis of landslide boulder lithologies, landslide volume estimation, numerical DAN-3D run-out modelling, and the spatial and temporal relationship of the event. In the Sennwald landslide, 92 million m3 of limestones detached from the south-eastern wall of the Säntis nappe and slid with a maximum travel distance of ~4'500 m and a "fahrboeschung" angle of 15° along the SE-dipping sliding plane almost parallel to the orientation of the bedding plane. Numerical run-out modelling results match the extent and the thickness of landslide deposits as observed in the field. The original bedrock stratigraphy was preserved as geologically the top layer in the bedrock package travelled the farthest and the bottom layer came to rest closest to the release bedrock wall during the landslide. Velocities of maximum 90 m/s were obtained from the numerical run-out modelling. Total Cl and 36Cl were determined at ETH AMS facility with isotope dilution methods defined in the literature (Ivy-Ochs et al., 2004). Surface exposure ages of landslide deposits in the accumulation area are revealed from twelve boulders. The distribution of limestone boulders in the accumulation area, the exposure ages, and the numerical run-out modelling support the hypothesis that the Sennwald landslide was a single catastrophic event. The event is likely to have been triggered by at least light to moderate earthquakes (Mw=4.0-6.0). The historical and the last 40-year earthquake activity shows that this region is tectonically still active (Mosar, 1999) with numerous earthquakes. The exposure ages imply that the rock failure occurred during the middle Holocene, a period of increased neotectonic activity in Eastern Alps suggested by Prager et al. (2007). This time period also coincides with notably wet climate, which has been suggested as an important trigger for landslides around this age across the Alps (Zerathe et al., 2014).

Discovery of a landscape-wide drape of late-glacial aeolian silt in the western Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria): First results and implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gild, Charlotte; Geitner, Clemens; Sanders, Diethard

2018-01-01

Aeolian deposits record palaeoenvironmental conditions and may coin soil properties. Whereas periglacial loess is extensively investigated for 200 years, the study of the intramontane wind-blown deposits of the Alps has just stuttered along. Herein, we describe a drape of polymictic siliciclastic silt interpreted as an aeolian deposit that veneers extensive areas in the western Northern Calcareous Alps (NCA), from kames terraces near valley floors up to last-glacial nunataks. The NCA - part of the Eastern Alps mountain range - consist mainly of Triassic carbonate rocks; these are overlain by deposits of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and its deglacial-paraglacial aftermath (e.g., glacial tills, fluvio-lacustrine successions, alluvial fans, scree slopes) - and a regional drape of polymictic silt newly described herein. The drape is typically a few decimeters in thickness and slightly modified by soil formation; it consists mainly of well-sorted silt of quartz, feldspars, phyllosilicates (muscovite, chlorite, biotite), amphiboles and, rarely, calcite or dolomite. The drape is unrelated to the substrate: it overlies carbonate bedrock and - in lateral continuity - abandoned deposystems such as colluvial slopes of redeposited till, kames, alluvial fans, scree slopes, and rock avalanche deposits. The drape was spotted from near the present valley floors up to LGM nunataks, over a vertical range of some 2000 m; it is also present in catchments of the NCA that were not overridden by far-travelled ice streams and that lack metamorphic rock fragments. Two OSL quartz ages of the drape from two distinct locations (18.77 ± 1.55 ka; 17.81 ± 1.68 ka) fall into the early Alpine late-glacial interval shortly after the collapse of pleniglacial ice streams; this fits with geological and geomorphological evidence, respectively, that the drape should be of early late-glacial age, and that it accumulated during a specific interval of time. In the NCA, localized minor deposition of aeolian dust is documented - by other authors - from plateaus deglaciated only during the late-glacial to Holocene; no evidence, however, exists for another phase of similarly widespread aeolian deposition such as that which gave rise to the described regional drape of silt. Intense aeolian transport and deposition was probably a direct consequence of the liberation of huge amounts of unsorted sediment during deglacial ice collapse, perhaps combined with climatic aridification. This provides a hitherto unappreciated element of the deglacial to paraglacial phase: intramontane dust storms. Because of its large extent and the availability to OSL dating, the aeolian drape provides an excellent geochronological marker level identified in terrestrial post-glacial successions of the Eastern Alps. Because of its fine-grained siliciclastic composition, the drape gives rise to widespread development of atypical Cambisols (on carbonate bedrocks) with comparatively high water storage capacity and nutrient supply.

Tectonic overpressure may reconcile the structural and petrological records of the Adula nappe (Central Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pleuger, Jan; Podladchikov, Yuri

2014-05-01

The Penninic Alps are the result of progressive underthrusting of oceanic and continental domains below the Adriatic microplate. Situated in the internal part of the Alpine orogen, they expose basement and thinned cover nappes which have been metamorphosed to variable degree, among them several units which were subjected to ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism. Due to the more or less strong nappe-internal deformation of these units, cross sections through the Penninic Alps cannot be restored kinematically by area or line balancing techniques. Instead, such restorations attempt to consistently reconcile geochronological and structural data and petrological pressure-temperature estimates. Pressure data are usually converted into depth assuming that they were lithostatic which puts the ultrahigh-pressure units to subcrustal depths. Tectonic exhumation of a unit from such a depth by whatever mechanism requires a large-scale normal fault with several tens of kilometres of displacement in the hanging wall of the unit. However, for all Penninic ultrahigh-pressure units (Dora Maira unit, Zermatt-Saas zone, Monviso unit, Adula-Cima Lunga nappe), the oldest mappable post-peak-pressure structures are related to top-to-the-foreland shearing, i.e. thrusting. There are two potential solutions to this dilemma. The first one is that either the exhumation was indeed accommodated by a large-scale normal fault which became completely overprinted during later deformational stages. The other one is that peak pressures were not lithostatic. To our knowledge, the first solution is applied to all kinematic models of the Alps so far. In order to explore the feasibility of the second solution, we performed a purely structural restoration of the NFP20-East cross section without lithostatic pressure-to-depth-conversions. This cross-section comprises the ultrahigh-pressure Adula nappe (up to ca. 30 kbar) and relies on quantitative strain data from the overlying units. The result shows that, in accordance with the structural record, the Adula nappe can be restored to maximum depths of up to ca. 60 km. For individual points of the Adula nappe in the restored cross section, corresponding to the sporadic occurences of (ultra)high-pressure rocks, lithostatic pressures are exceeded by petrological peak-pressure data by about 40% to 80%. Such amounts of tectonic overpressure are within the limits of theoretical considerations and numerical modelling results. For the other units comprised in the cross section, and for subsequent tectono-metamorphic stages of the Adula nappe, negligible amounts of overpressure (around 10%) are determined from the restoration. We conclude that (1) the NFP20-East cross section can be kinematically restored by using only structural data, (2) the dilemma mentioned above can be solved by admitting realisting amounts of tectonic overpressure, and (3) significant amounts of overpressure were established only locally and episodically.

A new restoration of the NFP20-East cross section and possible tectonic overpressure in the Penninic Adula Nappe (Central Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pleuger, J.; Podladchikov, Y.

2012-04-01

The Adula Nappe in the eastern Central Alps is one of the four units in the Alps from which ultrahigh-pressure rocks have been reported. Several very different models for its tectonic history have been published but none of these models is fully satisfactory. In the models of Schmid et al. (1996) and Engi et al. (2001), the main mechanism of exhumation is assumed to be extrusion. The extrusion models require top-to-the-hinterland, i.e. top-to-the-south faulting in the hanging wall of the exhuming nappe for which there is no evidence. Froitzheim et al. (2003) proposed a scenario with two different subduction zones, an internal one in which the South Penninic and Briançonnais domains were subducted, and an external one in which the North Penninc domain and the European margin, including the Adula nappe, were subducted. In this model, the exhumation of the Adula nappe results from the subduction of the overlying sub-Briançonnais and sub-South-Penninic mantle in the internal subduction zone. The Adula nappe would then have been exhumed from below into a top-to-the-north shear zone also affecting the overriding Briançonnais units. The main shortcoming of this model is that otherwise there is little evidence for two Alpine subduction zones. All the models cited above are based on the conversion of peak pressures obtained from geobarometry to depth by assuming lithostatic pressures. This results in a much greater burial depth of the Adula Nappe with respect to the surrounding units which poses major problems when trying to reconcile maximum burial depths of the Penninic nappes with their structural record. We performed a new restoration of the NFP20-East cross section (Schmid et al. 1996) without applying a lithostatic pressure-to-depth conversion but a purely geometrical restoration of deformation events in the Penninic nappe stack. The major constraints on these reconstructions are given by strain estimates for the major deformation phases in the units overlying the Adula Nappe (Mayerat Demarne 1994) and zircon fission track ages (Flisch 1986) indicating that the Austroalpine units have not been more than 10 km below surface after the Palaeocene. The maximum pressures of eclogites from the Adula nappe reported in the literature are about 1.8 times as high as the lithostatic pressures derived from our cross section restoration. Given that tectonic overpressure in an orogen may be as high as lithostatic pressure (Petrini and Podladchikov 2000), the results of our cross section restoration suggest that the exceptionally high pressures recorded by the Adula Nappe may not be due to exceptionally deep burial but, at least partly, to tectonic overpressure. Engi, M., Berger, A. & Roselle, G.T. 2001: Geology 29, 1143-1146. Flisch, M. 1986: Bull. Ver. Schweiz. Pet.-Geol.-Ing. 53, 23- 49. Froitzheim, N., Pleuger, J., Roller, S. & Nagel, T. 2003: Geology 31, 925-928. Mayerat Demarne, A.M. 1994: Beitr. Geol. Karte Schweiz, 165. Petrini, K. & Podladchikov, Yu. 2000: J. metamorphic Geol.18, 67-77. Schmid, S.M., Pfiffner, O.A., Froitzheim, N., Schönborn, G. & Kissling, E. 1996: Tectonics 15, 1036-1064.

Imaging the local crustal structure of the European Eastern Alps through teleseismic reflections from the Earth's inner core recorded during an active source experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behm, M.

2016-12-01

The ALP2002 experiment was a large 3D active seismic experiment to reveal the crustal structure of the Eastern Alps and their neighboring tectonic provinces in Central Europe. The deployment comprised 993 autonomous Reftek Texan recorders equipped with vertical component geophones. The average station spacing was 4.5 km, and the recording instruments were distributed along 14 interlocking profiles with a total line length of 4313 km. During 5 days, 40 explosions in boreholes were fired and recorded within pre-programmed time windows. The limited memory capacity of the recorders allowed for just a few additional backup time windows. Despite the short total recording time of only 17.5 hours within 5 days, one of these backup time windows comprises the registration of the reflection from the earth's inner core (PKiKP phase) originating from an earthquake 130 km offshore Papa New Guinea. This magnitude 5.7 teleseimic event occurred in a depth of 33 km and its epicentral distance to the deployment area is 121.5°. Although the 1C geophones with a natural frequency of 4.5 Hz are not designed to capture the complete characteristics of low-frequency earthquake waveforms, the high-frequency part of the PKiKP wavelet is clearly recorded on all 993 stations. Thus the dataset represents a unique opportunity to study regional and local crustal structures from the analysis of teleseismic events, in particular since the results from the active source data provide calibration and validation. Arrival time analysis is facilitated by the sub-vertical emergence angle of the PKiKP phase. Time corrections for the near surface (< 10 km depth) and the upper mantle structure (50 - 400 km depth) are obtained from previously established seismic 3D models and allow focusing the interpretation on the lower crust and crust-mantle transition. Further, a recently developed blind deconvolution approach is applied to the data for imaging the crustal structure from surface reflections of the PKiKP phase.

Present vertical movements in Central and Northern Italy from GPS data: Possible role of natural and anthropogenic causes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cenni, N.; Viti, M.; Baldi, P.; Mantovani, E.; Bacchetti, M.; Vannucchi, A.

2013-11-01

Insights into the present vertical kinematic pattern in Central and Northern Italy are gained by the analysis of GPS data acquired by a network of 262 permanent stations, working over various time intervals since 2001. Uplift is observed in the Alps (up to 5 mm/yr) and Apennines (1-2 mm/yr), whereas subsidence is recognized in the southern Venetian Plain (2-4 mm/yr) and the eastern Po Valley, where the highest rates are observed (up to 9 mm/yr between Reggio Emilia and Rimini). On the other hand, the western part of the Po Valley presents very low vertical rates. The boundary between subsiding and not subsiding Po Valley nearly corresponds to the Giudicarie tectonic discontinuity. It is argued that the different kinematic patterns of the eastern and western Padanian sectors may also be related to the underthrusting of the eastern domain beneath the western one. Some considerations are then reported on how the various causes of vertical movements (tectonic and sedimentological processes) may contribute to the observed kinematics.

Subgeneric division of the genus Orcula Held 1837 with remarks on Romanian orculid data (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Orculidae)

PubMed Central

Páll-Gergely, Barna; Deli, Tamás; Irikov, Atanas; Harl, Josef

2013-01-01

Abstract The genital anatomy of Orcula jetschini (Romania), Orcula zilchi (Bulgaria), and Orcula wagneri (Albania) is described. Based on anatomical features (morphology of the penial caecum) shell characters (sculpture and shape) and unpublished molecular data the genus Orcula is subdivided into three subgenera. Orcula zilchi was classified within the monotypic subgenus Orcula (Hausdorfia) subgen. n.; Orcula jetschini, Orcula wagneri, and Orcula schmidtii were classified to Orcula (Illyriobanatica) subgen. n. (type species: Pupa schmidtii) whereas the other Orcula species remain in the nominotypical subgenus. Orcula (Hausdorfia) is known from South-Eastern Bulgaria and North-Western Turkey, Orcula (Illyriobanatica) inhabits Western Romania, North-Western Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Montenegro. The nine species of Orcula (Orcula) are known mainly from the Alps and the Western Carpathians (from Eastern France to Eastern Hungary and Slovakia). The occurrence of only one Orcula species namely Orcula jetschini is verified from Romania. Available information suggests that data on the Romanian occurrence of Orcula dolium and Orcula gularis were based on wrongly identified specimens. Sphyradium dobrogicum (=Orcula dobrogica) is considered as a synonym of Sphyradium doliolum. PMID:23794893

Filling the Eastern European gap in millennium-long temperature reconstructions

PubMed Central

Büntgen, Ulf; Kyncl, Tomáš; Ginzler, Christian; Jacks, David S.; Esper, Jan; Tegel, Willy; Heussner, Karl-Uwe; Kyncl, Josef

2013-01-01

Tree ring–based temperature reconstructions form the scientific backbone of the current global change debate. Although some European records extend into medieval times, high-resolution, long-term, regional-scale paleoclimatic evidence is missing for the eastern part of the continent. Here we compile 545 samples of living trees and historical timbers from the greater Tatra region to reconstruct interannual to centennial-long variations in Eastern European May–June temperature back to 1040 AD. Recent anthropogenic warming exceeds the range of past natural climate variability. Increased plague outbreaks and political conflicts, as well as decreased settlement activities, coincided with temperature depressions. The Black Death in the mid-14th century, the Thirty Years War in the early 17th century, and the French Invasion of Russia in the early 19th century all occurred during the coldest episodes of the last millennium. A comparison with summer temperature reconstructions from Scandinavia, the Alps, and the Pyrenees emphasizes the seasonal and spatial specificity of our results, questioning those large-scale reconstructions that simply average individual sites. PMID:23319641

Human impact on the geomorphic evolution of the HOAL catchment, Lower Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pöppl, Ronald; Kraushaar, Sabine; Strauss, Peter; Fuchs, Markus

2016-04-01

Since the beginning of human settlement extensive land cover and land use changes have induced significant geomorphic landscape changes as water and sediment dynamics have been transformed. The presented project focuses on the reconstruction of Holocene geomorphic landscape evolution and the assessment of recent geomorphic processes in the Northern foothills of the Eastern Alps in Austria - an area intensively agriculturally used since the middle ages and often overlooked in its geomorphic evolution. The study area is a small catchment (ca. 66 ha) which is located in the western part of Lower Austria comprising a land use history as well as environmental settings typical for wide regions across the Northern foothills of the Eastern Alps in Austria. The catchment elevation ranges from 268 to 323 m a.s.l. and has a mean slope angle of 8%. The climate in this region can be characterized as humid. The lithology mainly consists of Tertiary marly to sandy deposits which are superimposed by Quaternary sediments (e.g. loesses). Dominant soil types are Cambisols, Luvisols, and Planosols. Furthermore, the catchment is used as a Hydrological Open Air Laboratory (HOAL) implemented for the long-term research of water-related flow and transport processes in the landscape (http://hoal.hydrology.at). The main objective of this research project is to reconstruct Holocene landscape evolution by analyzing physical parameters of sediment cores taken from colluvial and alluvial sediment archives with additional 14C and OSL dating as well as by the measurement of truncated and covered standardized Luvisol profiles. First results will be presented at the EGU General Assembly 2016.

Sedimentary record of subsidence pulse at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary interval in the Slovenian Basin (eastern Southern Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rožič, Boštjan; Jurkovšek, Tea Kolar; Rožič, Petra Žvab; Gale, Luka

2017-08-01

In the Alpine Realm the Early Jurassic is characterized by the disintegration and partial drowning of vast platform areas. In the eastern part of the Southern Alps (present-day NW Slovenia), the Julian Carbonate Platform and the adjacent, E-W extending Slovenian Basin underwent partial disintegration, drowning and deepening from the Pliensbachian on, whereas only nominal environmental changes developed on the large Dinaric (Friuli, Adriatic) Carbonate Platform to the south (structurally part of the Dinarides). These events, however, were preceded by an earlier - and as yet undocumented extensional event - that took place near the Triassic/Jurassic boundary. This paper provides evidence of an accelerated subsidence from four selected areas within the Slovenian Basin, which show a trend of eastwardly-decreasing deformation. In the westernmost (Mrzli vrh) section - the Upper Triassic platform-margin - massive dolomite is overlain by the earliest Jurassic toe-of-slope carbonate resediments and further, by basin-plain micritic limestone. Further east (Perbla and Liščak sections) the Triassic-Jurassic transition interval is marked by an increase in resedimented carbonates. We relate this to the increasing inclination and segmentation of the slope and adjacent basin floor. The easternmost (Mt. Porezen) area shows a rather monotonous, latest Triassic-Early Jurassic basinal sedimentation. However, changes in the thickness of the Hettangian-Pliensbachian Krikov Formation point to a tilting of tectonic blocks within the basin area. Lateral facies changes at the base of the formation indicate that the tilting occurred at and/or shortly after the Triassic/Jurassic boundary

EAARL-B coastal topography: eastern New Jersey, Hurricane Sandy, 2012: first surface

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wright, C. Wayne; Fredericks, Xan; Troche, Rodolfo J.; Klipp, Emily S.; Kranenburg, Christine J.; Nagle, David B.

2014-01-01

These remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements of lidar-derived first-surface (FS) topography datasets were produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, Florida. This project provides highly detailed and accurate datasets for a portion of the New Jersey coastline beachface, acquired pre-Hurricane Sandy on October 26, and post-Hurricane Sandy on November 1 and November 5, 2012. The datasets are made available for use as a management tool to research scientists and natural-resource managers. An innovative airborne lidar system, known as the second-generation Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL-B), was used during data acquisition. The EAARL-B system is a raster-scanning, waveform-resolving, green-wavelength (532-nm) lidar designed to map nearshore bathymetry, topography, and vegetation structure simultaneously. The EAARL-B sensor suite includes the raster-scanning, water-penetrating full-waveform adaptive lidar, down-looking red-green-blue (RGB) and infrared (IR) digital cameras, two precision dual-frequency kinematic carrier-phase GPS receivers, and an integrated miniature digital inertial measurement unit, which provide for sub-meter georeferencing of each laser sample. The nominal EAARL-B platform is a twin-engine Cessna 310 aircraft, but the instrument may be deployed on a range of light aircraft. A single pilot, a lidar operator, and a data analyst constitute the crew for most survey operations. This sensor has the potential to make significant contributions in measuring sub-aerial and submarine coastal topography within cross-environmental surveys. Elevation measurements were collected over the survey area using the EAARL-B system. The resulting data were then processed using the Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS), a custom-built processing system developed in a NASA-USGS collaboration. ALPS supports the exploration and processing of lidar data in an interactive or batch mode. Modules for presurvey flight-line definition, flight-path plotting, lidar raster and waveform investigation, and digital camera image playback have been developed. Processing algorithms have been developed to extract the range to the first and last significant return within each waveform. ALPS is used routinely to create maps that represent submerged or sub-aerial topography. Specialized filtering algorithms have been implemented to determine the "bare earth" under vegetation from a point cloud of last return elevations. For more information about similar projects, please visit the Lidar for Science and Resource Management Web site.

EAARL Coastal Topography--Cape Canaveral, Florida, 2009: First Surface

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bonisteel-Cormier, J.M.; Nayegandhi, Amar; Plant, Nathaniel; Wright, C.W.; Nagle, D.B.; Serafin, K.S.; Klipp, E.S.

2011-01-01

These remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements of lidar-derived first-surface (FS) topography datasets were produced collaboratively by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, FL, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Kennedy Space Center, FL. This project provides highly detailed and accurate datasets of a portion of the eastern Florida coastline beachface, acquired on May 28, 2009. The datasets are made available for use as a management tool to research scientists and natural-resource managers. An innovative airborne lidar instrument originally developed at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, and known as the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), was used during data acquisition. The EAARL system is a raster-scanning, waveform-resolving, green-wavelength (532-nanometer) lidar designed to map near-shore bathymetry, topography, and vegetation structure simultaneously. The EAARL sensor suite includes the raster-scanning, water-penetrating full-waveform adaptive lidar, a down-looking red-green-blue (RGB) digital camera, a high-resolution multispectral color-infrared (CIR) camera, two precision dual-frequency kinematic carrier-phase GPS receivers, and an integrated miniature digital inertial measurement unit, which provide for sub-meter georeferencing of each laser sample. The nominal EAARL platform is a twin-engine aircraft, but the instrument was deployed on a Pilatus PC-6. A single pilot, a lidar operator, and a data analyst constitute the crew for most survey operations. This sensor has the potential to make significant contributions in measuring sub-aerial and submarine coastal topography within cross-environmental surveys. Elevation measurements were collected over the survey area using the EAARL system, and the resulting data were then processed using the Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS), a custom-built processing system developed in a NASA-USGS collaboration. ALPS supports the exploration and processing of lidar data in an interactive or batch mode. Modules for presurvey flight-line definition, flight-path plotting, lidar raster and waveform investigation, and digital camera image playback have been developed. Processing algorithms have been developed to extract the range to the first and last significant return within each waveform. ALPS is used routinely to create maps that represent submerged or sub-aerial topography. Specialized filtering algorithms have been implemented to determine the "bare earth" under vegetation from a point cloud of last return elevations.

Summer mistral at the exit of the Rhône valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drobinski, P.; Bastin, S.; Guenard, V.; Caccia, J. L.; Dabas, A. M.; Delville, P.; Protat, A.; Reitebuch, O.; Werner, C.

2005-01-01

The paper examines the three-dimensional structure and dynamics of the mistral at the Rhône valley exit on 28 June 2001. The mistral refers to a severe wind that develops along the Rhône valley in southern France. This summer mistral event was documented in the framework of the ESCOMPTE field experiment. The dynamical processes driving the circulation of the mistral in the Rhône valley and particularly wake formation and planetary boundary layer (PBL) inhomogeneity at the scale of Rhône valley delta are investigated. Several important data sources are used (airborne Doppler lidar, radiosondes and surface stations) as well as non-hydrostatic mesoscale simulations. This paper analyses experimentally, numerically and theoretically the mechanism of wake formation. It shows that the flow impinging on the Alpine range and the Massif Central becomes supercritical all along the ridge line, including the Rhône valley and continues to accelerate in the lee regions until a hydraulic jump occurs. It leads to the formation of wakes behind and close to the mountain peaks. Compared to the Massif Central wake, the origin of the western Alps wake is rather complicated. In this study, the observations and simulations suggest a combined wall separation/gravity wave breaking mechanism to explain the western Alps wake. Indeed, it is shown that in addition to the flow descending the western Alps slopes and experiencing a strong hydraulic jump, the point where the mistral flow separates from the eastern flank of the Rhône valley located at about 44°N is associated with a 'flank-shock' which is an oblique hydraulic jump (i.e.the downstream Froude number is supercritical). Wake formation in the lee of the Alps and the Massif Central causes large inhomogeneity of the PBL with differences between land and sea. In the Massif Central and western Alps wakes, the continental PBL is deeper (1.8 km) than in the mistral flow (1 km), which is consistent with a subcritical regime associated with enhanced turbulent mixing. The supercritical air flow, descending the Massif Central and Alps slopes and transitioning to subcritical flow, increases the near-surface air temperature due to the föhn effect. Over the Mediterranean, the surface heat fluxes are slightly negative (between-50 and 0 W m -2) and the main source of PBL turbulence is mechanical (wind shear). The PBL depth within the mistral flow does not vary over land (1 km), whereas the absence of convection but also of strong winds prevent PBL development over the sea in the wakes of the Massif Central and the Alps (PBL depth of about 0.5 km).

Phylogeography of the endangered Otago skink, Oligosoma otagense: population structure, hybridisation and genetic diversity in captive populations.

PubMed

Chapple, David G; Birkett, Alisha; Miller, Kimberly A; Daugherty, Charles H; Gleeson, Dianne M

2012-01-01

Climatic cooling and substantial tectonic activity since the late Miocene have had a pronounced influence on the evolutionary history of the fauna of New Zealand's South Island. However, many species have recently experienced dramatic range reductions due to habitat fragmentation and the introduction of mammalian predators and competitors. These anthropogenic impacts have been particularly severe in the tussock grasslands of the Otago region. The Otago skink (Oligosoma otagense), endemic to the region, is one of the most critically endangered vertebrates in New Zealand. We use mitochondrial DNA sequence data to investigate the evolutionary history of the Otago skink, examine its population genetic structure, and assess the level of genetic diversity in the individuals in the captive breeding program. Our data indicate that the Otago skink diverged from its closest relatives in the Miocene, consistent with the commencement of tectonic uplift of the Southern Alps. However, there is evidence for past introgression with the scree skink (O. waimatense) in the northern Otago-southern Canterbury region. The remnant populations in eastern Otago and western Otago are estimated to have diverged in the mid-Pliocene, with no haplotypes shared between these two regions. This divergence accounts for 95% of the genetic diversity in the species. Within both regions there is strong genetic structure among populations, although shared haplotypes are generally evident between adjacent localities. Although substantial genetic diversity is present in the captive population, all individuals originate from the eastern region and the majority had haplotypes that were not evident in the intensively managed populations at Macraes Flat. Our data indicate that eastern and western populations should continue to be regarded as separate management units. Knowledge of the genetic diversity of the breeding stock will act to inform the captive management of the Otago skink and contribute to a key recovery action for the species.

Use of stock to maintain and construct trails in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Eric Sandeno

2007-01-01

Trail construction and reconstruction utilizing stock is rare in the eastern United States. The Hoosier National Forest is the only forest in the Eastern Region of the Forest Service with its own pack string. The Hoosier is also the only forest in the eastern United States to utilize pack strings from western forests to complete trail work within wilderness. For the...

The exhumation of the (U)HP rocks of the Central and Western Penninic Alps: comparison study between thermo-mechanical models and field data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schenker, Filippo Luca; Schmalholz, Stefan M.; Baumgartner, Lukas P.; Pleuger, Jan

2015-04-01

The Central and Western Penninic (CWP) Alps form an orogenic wedge of imbricate tectonic nappes. Orogenic wedges form typically at depths < 60 km. Nevertheless, a few nappes and massifs (i.e. Adula/Cima Lunga, Dora-Maira, Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso, Zermatt-Saas) exhibit High- and Ultra-High-Pressure (U)HP metamorphic rocks suggesting that they were buried by subduction to depths >60 km and subsequently exhumed into the accretionary wedge. Mechanically, the exhumation of the (U)HP rocks from mantle depths can be explained by two contrasting buoyancy-driven models: (1) overall return flow of rocks in a subduction channel and (2) upward flow of individual, lighter rock units within a heavier material (Stokes flow). In this study we compare published numerical exhumation models of (1) and (2) with structural and metamorphic data of the CWP Alps. Model (1) predicts the exhumation of large volumes of (U)HP rocks within a viscous channel (1100-500 km2 in a 2D cross-section through the subduction zone). The moderate volume (e.g. ~7 km2 in a geological cross-section of the UHP unit of the Dora-Maira) and the coherent architecture of the (U)HP nappes suggests that the exhumation through (1) is unlikely for (U)HP nappes of the CWP Alps. Model (2) predicts the exhumation of appropriate volumes of (U)HP rocks, but generally the (U)HP rocks exhume vertically in the overriding plate and are not incorporated into the orogenic wedge. Nevertheless, the exhumation through (2) is feasible either with a vertical or with an extremely viscous and dense subduction channel. Whether these characteristics are applicable to the CWP UHP nappes will be discussed in light of field observations.

Characterization of soluble and membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase in Nilaparvata lugens and their potential relation to development and insecticide resistance.

PubMed

Wang, Zengxia; Liu, Shuhua; Yang, Baojun; Liu, Zewen

2011-09-01

Two forms (soluble and membrane-bound) of alkaline phosphatases (ALPs) were found in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens. In order to further study ALPs in N. lugens, two putative ALP genes (Nl-ALP1 and Nl-ALP2) were identified in this pest. Both Nl-ALP1 and Nl-ALP2 show approximately the same degree of sequence identity (40-50%) to other insect soluble and membrane-bound forms of ALP. Correlation of ALP activity and mRNA levels at different developmental stages, or following application of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and insecticide fenvalerate, suggests that Nl-ALP1 and Nl-ALP2 might encode a soluble (sALP) and a membrane-bound ALP (mALP), respectively. Nl-ALP1-specific antibody Nl1-I detected only a specific band in soluble protein preparations and Nl-ALP2 specific antibody Nl2-I only detected a specific band in insoluble protein preparations, which provided conclusive linkages between Nl-ALP1 and a sALP and between Nl-ALP2 and a m ALP. Then, Nl-ALP1 was denoted as Nl-sALP for a sALP and Nl-ALP2 was denoted as Nl-mALP for a mALP. Only sALP activity and Nl-sALP mRNA level were induced by 20E and fenvalerate, which was confirmed by the density of specific band detected by Nl1-I in Sus strain with or without fenvalerate treatment. Additionally, the sALP activity, as well as Nl-sALP mRNA level, was significantly higher in a fenvalerate resistant population, compared with Sus strain. These results indicate that the sALP is more responsive to chemical stimulus, such as hormone and insecticide, and might play dual roles in development and insecticide tolerance. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

14 CFR 95.13 - Eastern United States Mountainous Area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Eastern United States Mountainous Area. 95.13 Section 95.13 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION... Eastern United States Mountainous Area. All of the following area excluding those portions specified in...

14 CFR 95.13 - Eastern United States Mountainous Area.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Eastern United States Mountainous Area. 95.13 Section 95.13 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION... Eastern United States Mountainous Area. All of the following area excluding those portions specified in...

Southern rim of Pacific Ocean basin: southern Andes to southern Alps

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dalziel, I.W.D.; Garrett, S.W.; Grunow, A.M.

1986-07-01

Between the southern Andes of Tierra del Fuego and the southern Alps of New Zealand lies the least accessible and geologically least explored part of the Pacific Ocean basin. A joint United Kingdom-United States project was initiated in 1983 to elucidate the geologic history and structure of the Pacific margin of Antarctica from the Antarctic Peninsula to Pine Island Bay at approximately lone. 105/sup 0/W. The first season (1983-1984) of this West Antarctic Tectonics Project was spent in the Ellsworth-Whitmore crustal block, and the second (1984-1985) in the Thurston Island crustal block. The project involves structural and general field geology,more » petrology, geochemistry, paleomagnetism, and airborne geophysics (magnetics and radar ice echo sounding). A final geologic season will be spent in the Pensacola Mountains of the Transantarctic Range in 1987-1988.« less

Interdependency of Fission Yeast Alp14/TOG and Coiled Coil Protein Alp7 in Microtubule Localization and Bipolar Spindle FormationD⃞

PubMed Central

Sato, Masamitsu; Vardy, Leah; Angel Garcia, Miguel; Koonrugsa, Nirada; Toda, Takashi

2004-01-01

The Dis1/TOG family plays a pivotal role in microtubule organization. In fission yeast, Alp14 and Dis1 share an essential function in bipolar spindle formation. Here, we characterize Alp7, a novel coiled-coil protein that is required for organization of bipolar spindles. Both Alp7 and Alp14 colocalize to the spindle pole body (SPB) and mitotic spindles. Alp14 localization to these sites is fully dependent upon Alp7. Conversely, in the absence of Alp14, Alp7 localizes to the SPBs, but not mitotic spindles. Alp7 forms a complex with Alp14, where the C-terminal region of Alp14 interacts with the coiled-coil domain of Alp7. Intriguingly, this Alp14 C terminus is necessary and sufficient for mitotic spindle localization. Overproduction of either full-length or coiled-coil region of Alp7 results in abnormal V-shaped spindles and stabilization of interphase microtubules, which is induced independent of Alp14. Alp7 may be a functional homologue of animal TACC. Our results shed light on an interdependent relationship between Alp14/TOG and Alp7. We propose a two-step model that accounts for the recruitment of Alp7 and Alp14 to the SPB and microtubules. PMID:14742702

Interdependency of fission yeast Alp14/TOG and coiled coil protein Alp7 in microtubule localization and bipolar spindle formation.

PubMed

Sato, Masamitsu; Vardy, Leah; Angel Garcia, Miguel; Koonrugsa, Nirada; Toda, Takashi

2004-04-01

The Dis1/TOG family plays a pivotal role in microtubule organization. In fission yeast, Alp14 and Dis1 share an essential function in bipolar spindle formation. Here, we characterize Alp7, a novel coiled-coil protein that is required for organization of bipolar spindles. Both Alp7 and Alp14 colocalize to the spindle pole body (SPB) and mitotic spindles. Alp14 localization to these sites is fully dependent upon Alp7. Conversely, in the absence of Alp14, Alp7 localizes to the SPBs, but not mitotic spindles. Alp7 forms a complex with Alp14, where the C-terminal region of Alp14 interacts with the coiled-coil domain of Alp7. Intriguingly, this Alp14 C terminus is necessary and sufficient for mitotic spindle localization. Overproduction of either full-length or coiled-coil region of Alp7 results in abnormal V-shaped spindles and stabilization of interphase microtubules, which is induced independent of Alp14. Alp7 may be a functional homologue of animal TACC. Our results shed light on an interdependent relationship between Alp14/TOG and Alp7. We propose a two-step model that accounts for the recruitment of Alp7 and Alp14 to the SPB and microtubules.

A detrital garnet fingerprint of the Central Swiss Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stutenbecker, Laura; Berger, Alfons; Schlunegger, Fritz

2017-04-01

Detrital garnet is a promising candidate to reliably fingerprint sediment sources in the Alps, which has so far been complicated by the wide range and similarity of some of the lithologies. Garnet is present in most Alpine sediments, is easy to identify, is fairly stable and, most importantly, reflects the type and the metamorphic grade of its source rock in its chemical composition. This study aims to establish fingerprints based on detrital garnet composition for the most important tectonic units of the Central Alps, including European, Penninic and Adriatic basement rocks and their respective meta-sedimentary cover. Sediments collected from modern rivers, which drain representative portions of the individual tectonic units, contain a natural mixture of the various garnet populations present in each unit. We selected six catchments in southwestern Switzerland draining the External Massifs, Helvetic sediments and the Penninic nappe stack at the transition of Alpine greenschist- to amphibolite-facies metamorphism in order to test the variability of Alpine garnets and the role of inherited (pre-Alpine) garnets. Extraordinary grossular- and spessartine-rich garnets of the External massifs, which experienced greenschist facies metamorphism, are clearly distinguishable from generally almandine-rich garnets supplied by the higher-grade metamorphic Penninic nappe stack. The variable pyrope-, grossular- and spessartine-components of these almandine-rich garnets can be used to further distinguish pre-Alpine, Alpine eclogite-facies and low-grade metasedimentary garnets. This fingerprint has the potential to be used for reconstructing sediment sources, transport and dispersal patterns in a variety of settings throughout the Alpine sedimentary record.

The potential of detrital garnet as a provenance proxy in the Central Swiss Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stutenbecker, Laura; Berger, Alfons; Schlunegger, Fritz

2017-04-01

Detrital garnet is a promising candidate to reliably fingerprint sediment sources in the Alps, which has so far been complicated by the wide range and similarity of some of the lithologies. Garnet is present in most Alpine sediments, is easy to identify, is fairly stable and, most importantly, reflects the type and the metamorphic grade of its source rock in its chemical composition. This study aims to establish fingerprints based on detrital garnet composition for the most important tectonic units of the Central Alps, including European, Penninic and Adriatic basement rocks and their respective metasedimentary covers. Sediments collected from modern rivers, which drain representative portions of the individual tectonic units, contain a natural mixture of the various garnet populations present in each unit. We selected six catchments in southwestern Switzerland draining the External massifs, Helvetic sediments and the Penninic nappe stack at the transition of Alpine greenschist- to amphibolite-facies metamorphism in order to test the variability of Alpine garnets and the role of inherited (pre-Alpine) garnets. Extraordinary grossular- and spessartine-rich garnets of the External massifs, which experienced greenschist facies metamorphism, are clearly distinguishable from generally almandine-rich garnets supplied by the higher-grade metamorphic Penninic nappe stack. The variable pyrope, grossular and spessartine components of these almandine-rich garnets can be used to further distinguish pre-Alpine, Alpine eclogite-facies and low-grade metasedimentary garnets. This provenance proxy has the potential to be used for reconstructing sediment sources, transport and dispersal patterns in a variety of settings throughout the Alpine sedimentary record.

Hydro-chemical detection of permafrost degradation in the Eastern European Alps - Implications for geomorphological process studies and natural hazard assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraushaar, Sabine; Kamleitner, Sarah; Czarnowsky, Verena; Blöthe, Jan; Morche, David; Knöller, Kay; Lachner, Johannes

2017-04-01

The Gepatschferner glacier in the Upper Kaunertal valley is one of the fastest melting glaciers in the Eastern European Alps. With a retreat rate of around 110 m a-1 since the hydrological year 2012/ 2013, unconsolidated sediments of steep lateral moraines have been exposed to erosion, from which nowadays episodic and perennial springs well. We hypothesize that the springs indicate the melt out of dead ice lenses in areas below 2500 m, causing a potential significant morphological change in the moraines and a decrease of slope stability in the proglacial long after glacier retreat. However, permafrost degradation has not been considered so far in contemporary erosion measurements. The present study aims to identify the spring water's origin and displays first attempts of quantifying thermal erosion, which describes the matrix volume loss due to melting and drainage of ice water. Samples were routinely analyzed for temperature, electrical conductivity, δ2H, and δ18O. Results support the hypothesis that certain springs derive from melting ice of similar isotopic signature as the glacier. In a second step, chosen samples were examined for the long-lived anthropogenic nuclide 129I. Since the 1950s the atmospheric abundance of 129I has significantly increased. Its occurrence in the water samples hints a surface contact of the waters in the last 65 years. Springs of ice origin show little 129I content and are believed to derive from dead ice by the glacier. First electric resistivity measurements support the hydro-chemical results and suggest the existence of ice lenses in the subsurface. Ice ablation and discharge measurements allowed first estimates of the thermal erosion volume caused by the melt out and drainage of ice lenses.

Late Pleistocene climate change and landscape dynamics in the Eastern Alps: the inner-alpine Unterangerberg record (Austria)

PubMed Central

Starnberger, Reinhard; Drescher-Schneider, Ruth; Reitner, Jürgen M.; Rodnight, Helena; Reimer, Paula J.; Spötl, Christoph

2013-01-01

Drill cores from the inner-alpine valley terrace of Unterangerberg, located in the Eastern Alps of Austria, offer first insights into a Pleistocene sedimentary record that was not accessible so far. The succession comprises diamict, gravel, sand, lignite and thick, fine grained sediments. Additionally, cataclastic deposits originating from two paleo-landslide events are present. Multi-proxy analyses including sedimentological and palynological investigations as well as radiocarbon and luminescence data record the onset of the last glacial period (Würmian) at Unterangerberg at ∼120–110 ka. This first time period, correlated to the MIS 5d, was characterised by strong fluvial aggradation under cold climatic conditions, with only sparse vegetation cover. Furthermore, two large and quasi-synchronous landslide events occurred during this time interval. No record of the first Early Würmian interstadial (MIS 5c) is preserved. During the second Early Würmian interstadial (MIS 5a), the local vegetation was characterised by a boreal forest dominated by Picea, with few thermophilous elements. The subsequent collapse of the vegetation is recorded by sediments dated to ∼70–60 ka (i.e. MIS 4), with very low pollen concentrations and the potential presence of permafrost. Climatic conditions improved again between ∼55 and 45 ka (MIS 3) and cold-adapted trees re-appeared during interstadials, forming an open forest vegetation. MIS 3 stadials were shorter and less severe than the MIS 4 at Unterangerberg, and vegetation during these cold phases was mainly composed of shrubs, herbs and grasses, similar to what is known from today's alpine timberline. The Unterangerberg record ended at ∼45 ka and/or was truncated by ice during the Last Glacial Maximum. PMID:23805019

GPS tracking of non-breeding ravens reveals the importance of anthropogenic food sources during their dispersal in the Eastern Alps.

PubMed

Loretto, Matthias-Claudio; Schuster, Richard; Bugnyar, Thomas

2016-08-01

In many songbirds, the space use of breeders is well studied but poorly understood for non-breeders. In common ravens, some studies of non-breeders indicate high vagrancy with large individual differences in home range size, whereas others show that up to 40% of marked non-breeders can be regularly observed at the same anthropogenic food source over months to years. The aim of this study was to provide new insights on ravens' behavior during dispersal in the Eastern Alps. We deployed Global Positioning System (GPS) loggers on 10 individuals to gather accurate spatial and temporal information on their movements to quantify: 1) the dimension of the birds' space use (home range size with seasonal effects and daily/long-term travel distances), 2) how long they stayed in a dispersal stage of wandering as opposed to settling temporarily, and 3) their destination of movements. We recorded movements of up to 40 km per hour, more than 160 km within 1 day and more than 11,000 km within 20 months, indicating high vagrancy. Switching frequently between temporarily settling and travelling large distances in short time intervals leads to extensive home ranges, which also explains and combines the different findings in the literature. The destinations are rich anthropogenic food sources, where the birds spent on average 75% of their time. We discuss how ravens may find these "feeding hot spots" and which factors may influence their decision to stay/leave a site. The strong dependence on anthropogenic resources found in this population may have implications for site management and conservation issues.

Methodological framework for the probabilistic risk assessment of multi-hazards at a municipal scale: a case study in the Fella river valley, Eastern Italian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussin, Haydar; van Westen, Cees; Reichenbach, Paola

2013-04-01

Local and regional authorities in mountainous areas that deal with hydro-meteorological hazards like landslides and floods try to set aside budgets for emergencies and risk mitigation. However, future losses are often not calculated in a probabilistic manner when allocating budgets or determining how much risk is acceptable. The absence of probabilistic risk estimates can create a lack of preparedness for reconstruction and risk reduction costs and a deficiency in promoting risk mitigation and prevention in an effective way. The probabilistic risk of natural hazards at local scale is usually ignored all together due to the difficulty in acknowledging, processing and incorporating uncertainties in the estimation of losses (e.g. physical damage, fatalities and monetary loss). This study attempts to set up a working framework for a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) of landslides and floods at a municipal scale using the Fella river valley (Eastern Italian Alps) as a multi-hazard case study area. The emphasis is on the evaluation and determination of the uncertainty in the estimation of losses from multi-hazards. To carry out this framework some steps are needed: (1) by using physically based stochastic landslide and flood models we aim to calculate the probability of the physical impact on individual elements at risk, (2) this is then combined with a statistical analysis of the vulnerability and monetary value of the elements at risk in order to include their uncertainty in the risk assessment, (3) finally the uncertainty from each risk component is propagated into the loss estimation. The combined effect of landslides and floods on the direct risk to communities in narrow alpine valleys is also one of important aspects that needs to be studied.

Laser scan of the Grimming Mts. (Austria) with the latest LiDAR VZ-4000 equipment: preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, Harald; Hatzenbichler, Georg; Amon, Philipp; Fallah, Mohammad; Tari, Gabor; Grasemann, Bernhard

2013-04-01

As part of a cooperation project between OMV, RIEGL and the University of Vienna the new LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) VZ-4000 laser scanner was tested at the Grimming Mts. of the Eastern Alps in Austria. The prominent Grimming Mts. lies in the eastern part of the Dachstein Massif at the southern margin of the Northern Calcareous Alps. The Grimming, with a peak of 2,351 m above sea level, is one of the highest isolated mountains in Europe. Because of its spectacular topography, the Grimming has been used as an important surface reference mark since 1822. From a structural geology standpoint, the Grimming forms a huge antiform made up of dominantly well-bedded Triassic Dachstein Limestone. Because of the relatively well exposed bedrock surfaces above the tree-line and the fairly complex internal structure, the Grimming Mts. provides an ideal target for testing new high resolution laser scan techniques and devices. The maximum distance from the scanning positions on the nearby valley floor to the mountain face was about 4,500 m and the generated point cloud has an average resolution of 25 points per square meter. The purpose of this work was to test the latest version of the high resolution LiDAR laser equipment in a setting which falls beyond the capabilities of most existing LiDAR devices. The results of the pilot study include high-resolution spatial data on bedding planes, fault planes and the thickness variations of individual beds within the Dachstein Limestone. For the first time, the data obtained can be directly used to generate the proper 3D geometry of folds and faults observed on the Grimming Mts. This leads to a modern understanding of this prominent Alpine anticline in terms of structural geology.

Conservation assessments for five forest bat species in the Eastern United States

Treesearch

Frank R., III Thompson

2006-01-01

Assesses the status, distribution, conservation, and management considerations for five Regional Forester Sensitive Species of forest bats on national forests in the Eastern United States: eastern pipistrelle, evening bat, southeastern myotis, eastern small-footed myotis, and northern long-eared bat. Includes information on the taxonomy, description, life history,...

Selenium, fluorine, and arsenic in surficial materials of the conterminous United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shacklette, Hansford T.; Boerngen, Josephine G.; Keith, John R.

1974-01-01

Concentrations of selenium, fluorine, and arsenic in 912, 911, and 910 samples, respectively, of soils and other regoliths from sites approximately 50 miles (80 km) apart throughout the United States are represented on maps by symbols showing five ranges of values. Histograms of the concentrations of these elements are also given. The geometric-mean concentrations (ppm) in the samples, grouped by area, are as follows: Selenium-- Entire United States, 0.31; Western United States, 0.25; and Eastern United States, 0.39. Fluorine-- Entire United States, 180; Western United States, 250; and Eastern United States, 115. Arsenic-- Entire United States, 5.8; Western United States, 6.1; and Eastern United States, 5.4.

How well do we really know the timing and extent of glaciers during the Last Glacial Maximum in the Alps?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivy-Ochs, Susan; Braakhekke, Jochem; Monegato, Giovanni; Gianotti, Franco; Forno, Gabriella; Hippe, Kristina; Christl, Marcus; Akçar, Naki; Schluechter, Christian

2017-04-01

The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the Alps saw much of the mountains inundated by ice. Several main accumulation areas comprising local ice caps and plateau icefields fit into a picture of transection glaciers flowing into huge valley glaciers. In the north the valley glaciers covered long distances (hundreds of kilometers) to reach the forelands where they spread out in fan-shaped piedmont lobes tens of kilometers across, e.g. the Rhine glacier. In the south travel distances to the mountain front were often shorter, the pathway steeper. Nevertheless, not all glaciers even reached beyond the front, as the temperatures were notably warmer in the south. For example at Orta the glacier snout remained within the mountains. Where glaciers reached the forelands they stopped abruptly and the moraine amphitheaters were constructed, e.g. at Ivrea and Rivoli-Avigliana. Sets of stacked moraines built-up as glacier advance was directly confined by the older moraines. We may temporally and spatially identify the culmination of the last glacial cycle by pinpointing the outermost moraines that date to the LGM (generally about 26-24 ka). On the other hand, the timing of abandonment of foreland positions is given by ages of the innermost, often lake-bounding, moraines (about 19-18 ka). Between the two, glacier fluctuations left the stadial moraines. In the Linth-Rhine system three stadials have been recognized: Killwangen, Schlieren and Zurich. Nevertheless, already in the Swiss sector correlation of the LGM stadials among the several foreland lobes is not unambiguous. Across the Alps, not only north to south but also west to east, how do the timing and extent of glaciers during the LGM vary? Recent glacier modelling by Seguinot et al. (2017) informs and suggests the possibility of differences in timing for reaching of the maximum extent and for the number of oscillations of individual lobes during the LGM. At present few sites in the Alps have detailed enough geomorphological constraints with well-dated ice-marginal positions for in depth discussion of outermost, innermost and in between moraines. Where locations of the LGM farthest extent are conflicting depending on author, we are trying to establish the precise location of the most extensive LGM position by directly dating moraine boulders with cosmogenic 10Be. Here we present 10Be data from the Orta and Rivoli-Avigliana amphitheatres. A key comparison is with the Tagliamento amphitheatre to the east, where dating testifies to a two-phase maximum (Monegato et al. 2007). Furthermore, comparison is made to sites north of the Alps including previously unpublished data. Monegato G. et al. 2007. Evidence of a two-fold glacial advance during the last glacial maximum in the Tagliamento end moraine system (eastern Alps). Quaternary Research 68: 284-302. Seguinot J. et al. 2017. Modelling last glacial cycle ice dynamics in the Alps. EGU2017-8982

Polyphase tertiary fold-and-thrust tectonics in the Belluno Dolomites: new mapping, kinematic analysis, and 3D modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chistolini, Filippo; Bistacchi, Andrea; Massironi, Matteo; Consonni, Davide; Cortinovis, Silvia

2014-05-01

The Belluno Dolomites are comprised in the eastern sector of the Southern Alps, which corresponds to the fold-and-thrust belt at the retro-wedge of the Alpine collisional orogen. They are characterized by a complex and polyphase fold-and-thrust tectonics, highlighted by multiple thrust sheets and thrust-related folding. We have studied this tectonics in the Vajont area where a sequence of Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary units have been involved in multiple deformations. The onset of contractional tectonics in this part of the Alps is constrained to be Tertiary (likely Post-Eocene) by structural relationships with the Erto Flysch, whilst in the Mesozoic tectonics was extensional. We have recognized two contractional deformation phases (D1 and D2 in the following), of which only the second was mentioned in previous studies of the area and attributed to the Miocene Neoalpine event. D1 and D2 are characterized by roughly top-to-WSW (possibly Dinaric) and top-to-S (Alpine) transport directions respectively, implying a 90° rotation of the regional-scale shortening axis, and resulting in complex thrust and fold interference and reactivation patterns. Geological mapping and detailed outcrop-scale kinematic analysis allowed us to characterize the kinematics and chronology of deformations. Particularly, relative chronology was unravelled thanks to (1) diagnostic fold interference patterns and (2) crosscutting relationships between thrust faults and thrust-related folds. A km-scale D1 syncline, filled with the Eocene Erto Flysch and "decapitated" by a D2 thrust fault, provides the best map-scale example of crosscutting relationships allowing to reconstruct the faulting history. Due to the strong competence contrast between Jurassic carbonates and Tertiary flysch, in this syncline spectacular duplexes were also developed during D2. In order to quantitatively characterize the complex interference pattern resulting from two orthogonal thrusting and folding events, we performed a dip-domain analysis that allowed to categorize the different fold limbs and reduce the uncertainty in the reconstruction of the fault network topology in map view. This enabled us to reconstruct a high-quality, low-uncertainty 3D structural and geological model, which unambiguously proves that deformations with a top-to-WSW Dinaric transport direction propagate farther to the west than previously supposed in this part of the Southern Alps. Our new structural reconstruction of the Vajont valley have also clarified the structural control on the 1963 catastrophic landslide (which caused over 2000 losses). Besides being a challenging natural laboratory for testing analysis and modelling methodologies to be used when reconstructing in 3D this kind of complex interference structures, the Vajont area also provides useful clues on the still-enigmatic structures in the frontal part of the Friuli-Venetian Southern Alps, buried in the Venetian Plain foredeep. These include active seismogenic thrust-faults and, at the same time, represent a growing interest for the oil industry.

Allozyme variation and recent evolutionary history of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) in the southeastern United States

Treesearch

K. M. Potter; W. S. Dvorak; B. S. Crane; V. D. Hipkins; R. M. Jetton; W. A. Whittier; R. Rhea

2008-01-01

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis [L.] Carr.) is a widespread and ecologically important conifer species of eastern North America that is threatened by the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand), a pest introduced into the United States from Asia in the 1920s. Information about the genetic composition of eastern hemlock is...

Regulation of the Synthesis of the Angucyclinone Antibiotic Alpomycin in Streptomyces ambofaciens by the Autoregulator Receptor AlpZ and Its Specific Ligand▿

PubMed Central

Bunet, Robert; Mendes, Marta V.; Rouhier, Nicolas; Pang, Xiuhua; Hotel, Laurence; Leblond, Pierre; Aigle, Bertrand

2008-01-01

Streptomyces ambofaciens produces an orange pigment and the antibiotic alpomycin, both of which are products of a type II polyketide synthase gene cluster identified in each of the terminal inverted repeats of the linear chromosome. Five regulatory genes encoding Streptomyces antibiotic regulatory proteins (alpV, previously shown to be an essential activator gene; alpT; and alpU) and TetR family receptors (alpZ and alpW) were detected in this cluster. Here, we demonstrate that AlpZ, which shows high similarity to γ-butyrolactone receptors, is at the top of a pathway-specific regulatory hierarchy that prevents synthesis of the alp polyketide products. Deletion of the two copies of alpZ resulted in the precocious production of both alpomycin and the orange pigment, suggesting a repressor role for AlpZ. Consistent with this, expression of the five alp-located regulatory genes and of two representative biosynthetic structural genes (alpA and alpR) was induced earlier in the alpZ deletion strain. Furthermore, recombinant AlpZ was shown to bind to specific DNA sequences within the promoter regions of alpZ, alpV, and alpXW, suggesting direct transcriptional control of these genes by AlpZ. Analysis of solvent extracts of S. ambofaciens cultures identified the existence of a factor which induces precocious production of alpomycin and pigment in the wild-type strain and which can disrupt the binding of AlpZ to its DNA targets. This activity is reminiscent of γ-butyrolactone-type molecules. However, the AlpZ-interacting molecule(s) was shown to be resistant to an alkali treatment capable of inactivating γ-butyrolactones, suggesting that the AlpZ ligand(s) does not possess a lactone functional group. PMID:18296523

Regulation of the synthesis of the angucyclinone antibiotic alpomycin in Streptomyces ambofaciens by the autoregulator receptor AlpZ and its specific ligand.

PubMed

Bunet, Robert; Mendes, Marta V; Rouhier, Nicolas; Pang, Xiuhua; Hotel, Laurence; Leblond, Pierre; Aigle, Bertrand

2008-05-01

Streptomyces ambofaciens produces an orange pigment and the antibiotic alpomycin, both of which are products of a type II polyketide synthase gene cluster identified in each of the terminal inverted repeats of the linear chromosome. Five regulatory genes encoding Streptomyces antibiotic regulatory proteins (alpV, previously shown to be an essential activator gene; alpT; and alpU) and TetR family receptors (alpZ and alpW) were detected in this cluster. Here, we demonstrate that AlpZ, which shows high similarity to gamma-butyrolactone receptors, is at the top of a pathway-specific regulatory hierarchy that prevents synthesis of the alp polyketide products. Deletion of the two copies of alpZ resulted in the precocious production of both alpomycin and the orange pigment, suggesting a repressor role for AlpZ. Consistent with this, expression of the five alp-located regulatory genes and of two representative biosynthetic structural genes (alpA and alpR) was induced earlier in the alpZ deletion strain. Furthermore, recombinant AlpZ was shown to bind to specific DNA sequences within the promoter regions of alpZ, alpV, and alpXW, suggesting direct transcriptional control of these genes by AlpZ. Analysis of solvent extracts of S. ambofaciens cultures identified the existence of a factor which induces precocious production of alpomycin and pigment in the wild-type strain and which can disrupt the binding of AlpZ to its DNA targets. This activity is reminiscent of gamma-butyrolactone-type molecules. However, the AlpZ-interacting molecule(s) was shown to be resistant to an alkali treatment capable of inactivating gamma-butyrolactones, suggesting that the AlpZ ligand(s) does not possess a lactone functional group.

Regional assessment of emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, impacts in forests of the Eastern United States

Treesearch

Randall S. Morin; Andrew M. Liebhold; Scott A. Pugh; Susan J. Crocker

2017-01-01

Native to Asia, the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) has caused extensive mortality of ash tree species (Fraxinus spp.) in the eastern United States. As of 2013, the pest was documented in 18 % of counties within the natural range of ash in the eastern United States. Regional forest inventory data from the U.S...

Badgastein spa—Austrian central Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zötl, J. G.

1995-12-01

The Badgastein spa shows almost all the special geological and hydrological features existing in the northeastern central Alps. Situated within the Tauern window, the open joint system enables the infiltration of surface water to great depths. There it becomes heated and loaded with radon and trace elements such as fluor. The water discharges as thermal water springs at the steep right flank of the cascade of the Gastein-Ache. This hydraulic process occurs during a span of 3600 3800 years. The springs are captured in galleries, and the largest discharge is in gallery IX (2518 m3/d-1). The spa became known worldwide in the 19th century by visiting aristocrats from Central and Eastern Europe. The most important event in the 20th century was the discovery of the heat joint in the Böckstein gallery. In 1940 an effort to reactivate gold mining in the Radhausberg near Böckstein south of Badgastein failed. However, the miners had the unexpected experience of being cured of rheumatism. A connection between the great depth and high temperature in the gallery was made by the discovery of the joint set with heat and radon emanation. In the medical stations of the Böckstein gallery treatment of polyarthritis has become especially successful.

A multi-taxon approach reveals the effect of management intensity on biodiversity in Alpine larch grasslands.

PubMed

Nascimbene, Juri; Fontana, Veronika; Spitale, Daniel

2014-07-15

In the Alps, larch grasslands form one of the most pleasing aspects of the landscape. However, their effectiveness in contributing to biodiversity conservation may depend on the intensity of their management. We used a multi-taxon approach to evaluate the effects of the intensification of management practices and those of abandonment on the biodiversity of the main autotrophic organisms hosted in this habitat, including vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens. The study was carried out in the eastern part of South Tyrol, in the Italian Alps, where the diversity patterns of these three organismal groups were compared among intensively managed, extensively managed, and abandoned stands. The management intensity was found to strongly influence the biodiversity of the organisms, with a general pattern indicating the best conditions in extensively managed stands. Both abandonment and management intensification were detrimental to biodiversity through different mechanisms that led to species loss or to major shifts in species composition. However, the most negative effects were related to management intensification, mainly due to the high nitrogen supply, providing evidence for the increasing impact of eutrophication on Alpine environments. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

From the Western Alps across Central Europe: Postglacial recolonisation of the tufa stream specialist Rhyacophila pubescens (Insecta, Trichoptera)

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Dispersal rates, i.e. the effective number of dispersing individuals per unit time, are the product of dispersal capacity, i.e. a species physiological potential for dispersal, dispersal behaviour, i.e. the decision to leave a habitat patch in favour of another, and connectivity of occupied habitat. Thus, dispersal of species that are highly specialised to a certain habitat is limited by habitat availability. Species inhabiting very stable environments may also adopt a sedentary life-style. Both factors should lead to strong genetic differentiation in highly specialised species inhabiting stable environments. These two factors apply to our model species Rhyacophila pubescens a highly specialised freshwater insect that occurs in tufa springs, a very stable habitat. Results We examined the genetic population structure and phylogeography using range-wide mtCOI sequence and AFLP data from 333 individuals of R. pubescens. We inferred the location of Pleistocene refugia and postglacial colonisation routes of R. pubescens, and examined ongoing local differentiation. Our results indicate intraregional differentiation with a high number of locally endemic haplotypes, that we attributed to habitat specificity and low dispersal rates of R. pubescens. We observed high levels of genetic diversity south of the Alps and genetic impoverishment north of the Alps. Estimates of migrants placed the refugium and the source of the colonisation in the Dauphiné Alps (SW Alps). Conclusions This is the first example of an aquatic insect with a colonisation route along the western margin of the Alps to the Central European highlands. The study also shows that specialisation to a stable environment may have promoted a behavioural shift to decreased dispersal rates, leading to stronger local population differentiation than in less specialised aquatic insects. Alternatively, the occurrence of highly specialised tufa spring habitats may have been more widespread in the past, leading to range regression and fragmentation among present day R. pubescens populations. PMID:21569621

Biodiversity of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) along an altitudinal gradient in the Central Alps.

PubMed

Fischer, Barbara M; Schatz, Heinrich

2013-01-01

Oribatid mite communities were studied in the Central Alps (Obergurgl, Tyrol, Austria). Samples were taken on four sites along an altitudinal gradient from 2050 m a.s.l to 2900 m a.s.l., in different vegetation units (pine forest, Nardetum, Caricetum, Androsacetum). A total of 86 species were found, most of them occurred only at one altitude, four species were found in all four study sites. Three taxa could not be ascribed to a certain species (Carabodes sp. Mycobates sp., Tectocepheus sp.). Species richness and density of oribatid mites decrease with increasing altitude. The results are compared with previous studies in the same region and show remarkable shifts in species composition.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Pest Alert)

Treesearch

USDA Forest Service

2005-01-01

Native to Asia, the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) is a small, aphidlike insect that threatens the health and sustainability of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana) in the Eastern United States. Hemlock woolly adelgid was fi rst reported in the Eastern United...

EAARL Coastal Topography-Maryland and Delaware, Post-Nor'Ida, 2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bonisteel-Cormier, J.M.; Vivekanandan, Saisudha; Nayegandhi, Amar; Sallenger, A.H.; Wright, C.W.; Brock, J.C.; Nagle, D.B.; Klipp, E.S.

2010-01-01

These remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements of lidar-derived bare-earth (BE) and first-surface (FS) topography datasets were produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, FL. This project provides highly detailed and accurate datasets of a portion of the eastern Maryland and Delaware coastline beachface, acquired post-Nor'Ida (November 2009 nor'easter) on November 28 and 30, 2009. The datasets are made available for use as a management tool to research scientists and natural-resource managers. An innovative airborne lidar instrument originally developed at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, and known as the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), was used during data acquisition. The EAARL system is a raster-scanning, waveform-resolving, green-wavelength (532-nanometer) lidar designed to map near-shore bathymetry, topography, and vegetation structure simultaneously. The EAARL sensor suite includes the raster-scanning, water-penetrating full-waveform adaptive lidar, a down-looking red-green-blue (RGB) digital camera, a high-resolution multispectral color-infrared (CIR) camera, two precision dual-frequency kinematic carrier-phase GPS receivers, and an integrated miniature digital inertial measurement unit, which provide for sub-meter georeferencing of each laser sample. The nominal EAARL platform is a twin-engine aircraft, but the instrument was deployed on a Pilatus PC-6. A single pilot, a lidar operator, and a data analyst constitute the crew for most survey operations. This sensor has the potential to make significant contributions in measuring sub-aerial and submarine coastal topography within cross-environmental surveys. Elevation measurements were collected over the survey area using the EAARL system, and the resulting data were then processed using the Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS), a custom-built processing system developed in a NASA-USGS collaboration. ALPS supports the exploration and processing of lidar data in an interactive or batch mode. Modules for presurvey flight-line definition, flight-path plotting, lidar raster and waveform investigation, and digital camera image playback have been developed. Processing algorithms have been developed to extract the range to the first and last significant return within each waveform. ALPS is used routinely to create maps that represent submerged or sub-aerial topography. Specialized filtering algorithms have been implemented to determine the 'bare earth' under vegetation from a point cloud of last return elevations. For more information about similar projects, please visit the Decision Support for Coastal Science and Management website.

Comparison of recent sedimentation patterns in Mondsee and Hallstätter See (Upper Austria) and implications for palaeoflood reconstructions in the Eastern European Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauterbach, Stefan; Kämpf, Lucas; Swierczynski, Tina; Tjallingii, Rik; Brauer, Achim

2017-04-01

Rainfall-triggered flood events represent one of the most serious societal and economic threats in Central Europe. Nevertheless, the thorough assessment of this hazard is still limited by the restricted knowledge about the long-term spatio-temporal recurrence patterns and complex climatic trigger mechanisms of extreme flood events. As instrumental and documentary flood time series rarely exceed a few hundred years, long and precisely dated palaeoflood records from natural archives, e.g. lake sediments, offer an excellent opportunity to gain important information about long-term flood dynamics. This can improve the understanding of flood occurrence under different climatic boundary conditions as well as flood-generating processes and thus allow a more reliable assessment of future flood scenarios. However, the spatial coverage of lake sediment palaeoflood records across Europe is still limited and individual lakes are very heterogeneous in their sedimentological response and sensitivity to flooding. It therefore remains questionable whether single lake sediment palaeoflood records are representative on a larger spatial scale. Investigating adjacent lakes in terms of their individual flood response can therefore (1) help to improve the understanding of key hydro-climatological variables and lake internal processes, both controlling flood layer deposition, and (2) allow to assess the completeness and representativeness of single palaeoflood records, particularly with regard to different flood seasonality. Here we present first data from a project aiming at establishing a new palaeoflood record for the Eastern Alps by investigating the sediments of Hallstätter See in the Calcareous Alps of Upper Austria. These are compared with results from adjacent Mondsee (ca. 35 km to the northwest), located at the northern fringe of the Calcareous Alps. The recent sediments from these two lakes have been investigated with respect to their reflection of large flood events by using detailed sediment microfacies analysis on large-scale thin sections and high-resolution µ-XRF scanning. The depositional environment in Hallstätter See is mainly controlled by seasonally variable and largely runoff-triggered input of allochthonous clastic-detrital material by the Traun River, a major tributary of the Danube. In consequence, the sediments reveal a complex cm- to sub-mm-scale lamination, reflecting detrital input by frequent individual runoff events that are not necessarily extreme floods. This largely contrasts the depositional environment in Mondsee, where detrital material delivered through the relatively small tributaries is intercalated within the regular endogenic calcite varves only during major flood events. This comparison highlights that both lake systems are very different in their response to flooding, depending on catchment geology and morphology, tributary characteristics as well as flood seasonality. Hence, even for lakes in the same climatic domain, the comparison of resulting palaeoflood records is not necessarily straightforward since every lake sediment record only reflects certain aspects of regional flood history, strongly influenced by the individual characteristics of the lake system.

Ecological Problems in the Swiss Alps: The Pays d'Enhaut Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darbellay, Charly

1982-01-01

Describes the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) project in a mountain region in Switzerland, which is trying to halt depopulation and preserve the environment. Fourteen research units analyze relationships within and among the ecosystem, the economy, and the socio-cultural system. (KC)

The initial superposition of oceanic and continental units in the southern Western Alps: constraints on geometrical restoration and kinematics of the continental subduction wedge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dumont, Thierry; Schwartz, Stéphane; Matthews, Steve; Malusa, Marco; Jouvent, Marine

2017-04-01

The tectonic contact separating continental and oceanic units is preserved at outcrop in many locations within the Western Alps. The contact has experienced prolonged and progressive deformation during Oligocene collision and subsequent 'extrusive' contraction which is approximately westerly-directed (Dumont et al., 2012). Despite variable metamorphic grade, this tectonic contact displays a relative consistency of tectonostratigraphic and structural characteristics. Removal of the Oligocene and younger deformation is a critical requirement to allow assessment of the kinematic evolution during the Eocene continental subduction phase. The best preserved relationships are observed near the base of the Helminthoid Flysch nappes, in the footwall of the Penninic thrust, or in the external part of the Briançonnais zone. Here, the oceanic units are composed of detached Cretaceous sediments, but they are underlain locally by an olistostrome containing basaltic clasts. Further to the east, the internal boundary of the Briançonnais zone s.l. (including the 'Prepiedmont units'), is frequently marked by breccia or megabreccia, but is strongly affected by blueschist-facies metamorphism and by approximately easterly directed backfolding and backthrusting. At one locality, there is compelling evidence that the oceanic and continental units were already tectonically stacked and metamorphosed (together) 32Ma ago. Some megabreccias of mixed continental/oceanic provenance can be interpreted as a metamorphic equivalent of the external olistostrome, products of the initial pulses of tectonic stacking. The overlying units are composed dominantly of metasediments, containing distributed ophiolitic megaboudins (Tricart & Schwartz, 2006). Further east again, the tectonic contact separates the Dora-Maira continental basement from the Mt. Viso units which are predominantly composed of oceanic lithosphere. Both the Dora-Maira and Mt. Viso units are eclogitic, but the HP peak is apparently older in the oceanic rocks (Malusà et al. 2015). Finally, further SE, the Voltri massif shows a huge volume of serpentinized mantle which locally overlies continental basement (strongly metamorphosed), and is interpreted as an exhumed remnant of the subduction channel (Federico et al., 2007). In all these localities the transport directions during initial pulses of stacking were consistently oriented generally towards the NW to N, taking into account the subsequent Oligocene and younger collision-related deformation (complex folds, thrusts, backfolds and backthrusts, and block-rotations). It is thus possible to attempt reconstructing an early stage continental subduction wedge involving these different elements from the subduction channel to the most frontal part of the accretionary complex. However, this early Alpine orogen which was active throughout the Eocene is interpreted to have propagated generally towards the NW to N, prior to subsequent pulses of more westerly directed deformation from the Oligocene onwards within the southern part of the Western Alps arc. It is therefore essential to continually improve high-resolution 3D geophysical imaging to facilitate a better understanding of the complex western termination of the Alpine orogen. References: Dumont T., Schwartz S., Guillot S., Simon-Labric S., Tricart P. & Jourdan S. (2012), Structural and sedimentary record of the Oligocene revolution in the Western Alpine arc. Jour. Geodynamics, doi:10.1016/j.jog.2011.11.006 Federico L., Crispini L., Scambelluri M. & Capponi G. (2007), Ophiolite mélange zone records exhumation in a fossil subduction channel. Geology, 35, p. 499-502 Malusà M.G., Faccenna C., Baldwin S.L., Fitzgerald P.G., Rossetti F., Balestrieri M.L., Danišík M., Ellero A., Ottria G. & Piromallo C. (2015), Contrasting styles of (U)HP rock exhumation along the Cenozoic Adria-Europe plate boundary (Western Alps, Calabria, Corsica). Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. ,16, p. 1786-1824 Tricart P. & Schwartz S. (2006), A north-south section across the Queyras Schistes Lustrés (Piedmont zone, western Alps): Syn-collision refolding of a subduction wedge. Eclogae Geol. Helv., 99, 3, p. 429-442

Induction of rat alkaline phosphatase isozymes bearing a glycan-phosphatidylinositol anchor modified by in vivo treatment with a benzimidazole derivative linked to ethylbenzene.

PubMed

Harada, T; Koyama, I; Sato, K; Komoda, T

2000-10-01

Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is detected in soluble-form as a result of translocation from the membrane site by cleavage at the glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol moiety (GPI anchor). It is known that membrane-bound ALP (mALP) can be detected in serum in certain pathological and physiological conditions, and that it can be solubilized in vitro to soluble-ALP (sALP) by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC), phospholipase D, bile salt, detergent, etc. We observed a marked increase in ALP activity in the serum of rats given a benzimidazole derivative by gavage, and detected it as slow-migrating ALPs (SM-ALPs), which were mALP-like but resistant to PIPLC and n-butanol treatment on disc PAGE. On the other hand, ficin treatment made SM-ALPs shift to the sALP position. The molecular size of the SM-ALPs was smaller than that of sALP on sodium dodecyl sulphide-polyacrylamide slab-gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and immunoreactivity revealed the intestinal type. SM-ALPs were also detected in the duodenum and jejunum. The main sugar chain structure of SM-ALPs was the biantennary complex-type, which was coincided with intestinal sALP sugar chain. These results suggest that intestinal ALPs induced by the benzimidazole derivative were modified in their C-terminus or GPI anchor region and modification of this region may also participate in translocation into the bloodstream.

Review of metamorphic and kinematic data from Internal Crystalline Massifs (Western Alps): PTt paths and exhumation history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasco, Ivano; Gattiglio, Marco; Borghi, Alessandro

2013-01-01

Detailed geological mapping combined with micro-structural and petrological investigation allowed to clarify the tectono-metamorphic relationships between continental and oceanic units transition in the Penninic domain of the Western Alps. The three study areas (Gressoney, Orco and Susa sections) take into consideration the same structural level across the axial metamorphic belt of the Western Italian Alps, i.e., a geological section across the Internal Crystalline Massifs vs Piedmont Zone boundary. The units outcropping in these areas can be grouped into two Tectonic Elements according to their tectono-metamorphic evolution. The Lower Tectonic Element (LTE) consists of the Internal Crystalline Massifs and the Lower Piedmont Zone (Zermatt-Saas like units), both showing well preserved eclogite facies relics. Instead, the Upper Tectonic Element (UTE) consists of the Upper Piedmont Zone (Combin like units) lacking evidence of eclogite facies relics. In the Lower Tectonic Element two main Alpine tectono-metamorphic stages were identified: M1/D1 developed under eclogite facies conditions and M2/D2 is related to the development of the regional foliation under greenschist to epidote-albite amphibolite facies conditions. In the Upper Tectonic Element the metamorphic stage M1/D1 developed under bluschist to greenschist facies conditions and M2/D2 stage under greenschist facies conditions. These two Tectonic Elements are separated by a tectonic contact of regional importance generally developed along the boundary between the Lower and the Upper Piedmont zone under greenschist facies conditions. PT data compared to geochronology indicate that the first exhumation of ICM can be explained by buoyancy forces acting along the subduction channel that occurred during the tectonic coupling between the continental and oceanic eclogite units. These buoyancy forces vanished at the base of the crust where the density difference between the subducted crustal units and the surroundings rocks is too low. A stage where compression prevails on the previous exhumation followed, which leads to the development of the regional foliation under greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphic conditions. Further exhumation occurred after the M2/D2 stage at shallower crustal levels along conjugated shear zones leading to the development of a composite axial dome consisting of eclogite-bearing continental-oceanic units (ICM and Zermatt-Saas Zones) beneath greenschist ones (Combin Zone).

Increasing plant density in eastern United States broccoli production systems to maximize marketable head yields

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increased demand for fresh market broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) has led to increased production along the eastern seaboard of the United States. Maximizing broccoli yields is a primary concern for quickly expanding eastern commercial markets. Thus, a plant density study was carried ...

Alpine Crossroads or Origin of Genetic Diversity? Comparative Phylogeography of Two Sympatric Microgastropod Species

PubMed Central

Weigand, Alexander M.; Pfenninger, Markus; Jochum, Adrienne; Klussmann-Kolb, Annette

2012-01-01

The Alpine Region, constituting the Alps and the Dinaric Alps, has played a major role in the formation of current patterns of biodiversity either as a contact zone of postglacial expanding lineages or as the origin of genetic diversity. In our study, we tested these hypotheses for two widespread, sympatric microgastropod taxa – Carychium minimum O.F. Müller, 1774 and Carychium tridentatum (Risso, 1826) (Gastropoda, Eupulmonata, Carychiidae) – by using COI sequence data and species potential distribution models analyzed in a statistical phylogeographical framework. Additionally, we examined disjunct transatlantic populations of those taxa from the Azores and North America. In general, both Carychium taxa demonstrate a genetic structure composed of several differentiated haplotype lineages most likely resulting from allopatric diversification in isolated refugial areas during the Pleistocene glacial periods. However, the genetic structure of Carychium minimum is more pronounced, which can be attributed to ecological constraints relating to habitat proximity to permanent bodies of water. For most of the Carychium lineages, the broader Alpine Region was identified as the likely origin of genetic diversity. Several lineages are endemic to the broader Alpine Region whereas a single lineage per species underwent a postglacial expansion to (re)colonize previously unsuitable habitats, e.g. in Northern Europe. The source populations of those expanding lineages can be traced back to the Eastern and Western Alps. Consequently, we identify the Alpine Region as a significant ‘hot-spot’ for the formation of genetic diversity within European Carychium lineages. Passive dispersal via anthropogenic means best explains the presence of transatlantic European Carychium populations on the Azores and in North America. We conclude that passive (anthropogenic) transport could mislead the interpretation of observed phylogeographical patterns in general. PMID:22606334

Analysis of streamflow variability in Alpine catchments at multiple spatial and temporal scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez Ciria, T.; Chiogna, G.

2017-12-01

Alpine watersheds play a pivotal role in Europe for water provisioning and for hydropower production. In these catchments, temporal fluctuations of river discharge occur at multiple temporal scales due to natural as well as anthropogenic driving forces. In the last decades, modifications of the flow regime have been observed and their origin lies in the complex interplay between construction of dams for hydro power production, changes in water management policies and climatic changes. The alteration of the natural flow has negative impacts on the freshwater biodiversity and threatens the ecosystem integrity of the Alpine region. Therefore, understanding the temporal and spatial variability of river discharge has recently become a particular concern for environmental protection and represents a crucial contribution to achieve sustainable water resources management in the Alps. In this work, time series analysis is conducted for selected gauging stations in the Inn and the Adige catchments, which cover a large part of the central and eastern region of the Alps. We analyze the available time series using the continuous wavelet transform and change-point analyses for determining how and where changes have taken place. Although both catchments belong to different climatic zones of the Greater Alpine Region, streamflow properties share some similar characteristics. The comparison of the collected streamflow time series in the two catchments permits detecting gradients in the hydrological system dynamics that depend on station elevation, longitudinal location in the Alps and catchment area. This work evidences that human activities (e.g., water management practices and flood protection measures, changes in legislation and market regulation) have major impacts on streamflow and should be rigorously considered in hydrological models.

Glacial history affected phenotypic differentiation in the alpine plant, Campanula thyrsoides.

PubMed

Scheepens, J F; Frei, Eva S; Stöcklin, Jürg

2013-01-01

Numerous widespread Alpine plant species show molecular differentiation among populations from distinct regions. This has been explained as the result of genetic drift during glacial survival in isolated refugia along the border of the European Alps. Since genetic drift may affect molecular markers and phenotypic traits alike, we asked whether phenotypic differentiation mirrors molecular patterns among Alpine plant populations from different regions. Phenotypic traits can be under selection, so we additionally investigated whether part of the phenotypic differentiation can be explained by past selection and/or current adaptation. Using the monocarpic Campanula thyrsoides as our study species, a common garden experiment with plants from 21 populations from four phylogeographic groups located in regions across the Alps and the Jura Mountains was performed to test for differentiation in morphological and phenological traits. Past selection was investigated by comparing phenotypic differentiation among and within regions with molecular differentiation among and within regions. The common garden results indicated regional differentiation among populations for all investigated phenotypic traits, particularly in phenology. Delayed flowering in plants from the South-eastern Alps suggested adaptation to long sub-mediterranean summers and contrasted with earlier flowering of plants experiencing shorter growing seasons in regions with higher elevation to the West. Comparisons between molecular and phenotypic differentiation revealed diversifying selection among regions in height and biomass, which is consistent with adaptation to environmental conditions in glacial refugia. Within regions, past selection acted against strong diversification for most phenotypic traits, causing restricted postglacial adaptation. Evidence consistent with post-glacial adaptation was also given by negative correlation coefficients between several phenotypic traits and elevation of the population's origin. In conclusion, our study suggests that, irrespective of adaptation of plants to their current environment, glacial history can have a strong and long-lasting influence on the phenotypic evolution of Alpine plants.

Medical ethnobotany of the Albanian Alps in Kosovo

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Ethnobotanical studies are crucial in South-Eastern Europe for fostering local development and also for investigating the dynamics of Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK) related to plants in one of the most crucial European hotspots for biocultural diversity. The current medico-ethnobotanical survey was conducted in rural alpine communities in Kosovo. The aims of the study were twofold: 1) to document the state of TEK of medicinal plants in these communities; 2) to compare these findings with that of similar field studies previously conducted among local populations inhabiting the Montenegrin and Albanian side of the same Alpine range. Methods Field research was conducted in 36 villages on the Kosovar side of the Albanian Alps. Snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit 91 elderly informants (≥ 50 years-old) for participation in semi-structured interviews and structured surveys regarding the use of the local flora for medicinal and food purposes. Standard ethnobotanical methods were employed and prior informed consent was obtained for all study participants. Results and Conclusion The uses of 98 plants species belonging to 39 families were recorded; the most quoted botanical families were Rosaceae, Asteraceae, and Lamiaceae. Mainly decoctions and infusions were quoted as folk medicinal preparations and the most common uses referred to gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders, as well as illnesses of the uro-genital system. Among the most uncommon medicinal taxa quoted by the informants, Carduus nutans L., Echinops bannaticus Rochel ex Schrad., and Orlaya grandiflora Hoffm. may merit phytochemical and phytopharmacological investigations. Comparison of the data with other ethnobotanical field studies recently conducted on the Albanian and Montenegrin sides of the same Alps has shown a remarkable link between the medical ethnobotany of Montenegrin and Kosovar side of the Albanian Alps. Moreover, folk uses of the most quoted wild medicinal taxa recorded in Kosovo often include those recorded both in Albania and in Montenegro, thus suggesting a hybrid character of the Kosovar local plant knowledge. This may be also explained with the fact that Montenegro and Kosovo, despite their differences in the ethnic composition, have shared a common history during the last Century. PMID:22284581

Medical ethnobotany of the Albanian Alps in Kosovo.

PubMed

Mustafa, Behxhet; Hajdari, Avni; Krasniqi, Feriz; Hoxha, Esat; Ademi, Hatixhe; Quave, Cassandra L; Pieroni, Andrea

2012-01-28

Ethnobotanical studies are crucial in South-Eastern Europe for fostering local development and also for investigating the dynamics of Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK) related to plants in one of the most crucial European hotspots for biocultural diversity. The current medico-ethnobotanical survey was conducted in rural alpine communities in Kosovo. The aims of the study were twofold: 1) to document the state of TEK of medicinal plants in these communities; 2) to compare these findings with that of similar field studies previously conducted among local populations inhabiting the Montenegrin and Albanian side of the same Alpine range. Field research was conducted in 36 villages on the Kosovar side of the Albanian Alps. Snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit 91 elderly informants (≥ 50 years-old) for participation in semi-structured interviews and structured surveys regarding the use of the local flora for medicinal and food purposes. Standard ethnobotanical methods were employed and prior informed consent was obtained for all study participants. The uses of 98 plants species belonging to 39 families were recorded; the most quoted botanical families were Rosaceae, Asteraceae, and Lamiaceae. Mainly decoctions and infusions were quoted as folk medicinal preparations and the most common uses referred to gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders, as well as illnesses of the uro-genital system. Among the most uncommon medicinal taxa quoted by the informants, Carduus nutans L., Echinops bannaticus Rochel ex Schrad., and Orlaya grandiflora Hoffm. may merit phytochemical and phytopharmacological investigations.Comparison of the data with other ethnobotanical field studies recently conducted on the Albanian and Montenegrin sides of the same Alps has shown a remarkable link between the medical ethnobotany of Montenegrin and Kosovar side of the Albanian Alps. Moreover, folk uses of the most quoted wild medicinal taxa recorded in Kosovo often include those recorded both in Albania and in Montenegro, thus suggesting a hybrid character of the Kosovar local plant knowledge. This may be also explained with the fact that Montenegro and Kosovo, despite their differences in the ethnic composition, have shared a common history during the last Century.

Water quality in the eastern Iowa basins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kalkhoff, Stephen J.; Barnes, Kimberlee K.; Becher, Kent D.; Savoca, Mark E.; Schnoebelen, Douglas J.; Sadorf, Eric M.; Porter, Stephen D.; Sullivan, Daniel J.; Creswell, John

2001-01-01

The Eastern Iowa Basins Study Unit includes the Wapsipinicon, Cedar, Iowa, and Skunk River basins and covers approximately 19,500 square miles in eastern Iowa and southern Minnesota. More than 90 percent of the land in the study unit is used for agricultural purposes. Forested areas account for only 4 percent of the land area.

13 CFR 120.840 - Accredited Lenders Program (ALP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... (ALP). (a) General. Under the ALP program, SBA designates qualified CDCs as ALP CDCs, gives them... approval and servicing actions. (b) Application. A CDC must apply for ALP status to the Lead SBA Office.... (c) Eligibility. In order for a CDC to be eligible to receive ALP status, its application must show...

13 CFR 120.840 - Accredited Lenders Program (ALP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... (ALP). (a) General. Under the ALP program, SBA designates qualified CDCs as ALP CDCs, gives them... approval and servicing actions. (b) Application. A CDC must apply for ALP status to the Lead SBA Office.... (c) Eligibility. In order for a CDC to be eligible to receive ALP status, its application must show...

13 CFR 120.840 - Accredited Lenders Program (ALP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... (ALP). (a) General. Under the ALP program, SBA designates qualified CDCs as ALP CDCs, gives them... approval and servicing actions. (b) Application. A CDC must apply for ALP status to the Lead SBA Office.... (c) Eligibility. In order for a CDC to be eligible to receive ALP status, its application must show...

13 CFR 120.840 - Accredited Lenders Program (ALP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... (ALP). (a) General. Under the ALP program, SBA designates qualified CDCs as ALP CDCs, gives them... approval and servicing actions. (b) Application. A CDC must apply for ALP status to the Lead SBA Office.... (c) Eligibility. In order for a CDC to be eligible to receive ALP status, its application must show...

13 CFR 120.840 - Accredited Lenders Program (ALP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... (ALP). (a) General. Under the ALP program, SBA designates qualified CDCs as ALP CDCs, gives them... approval and servicing actions. (b) Application. A CDC must apply for ALP status to the Lead SBA Office.... (c) Eligibility. In order for a CDC to be eligible to receive ALP status, its application must show...

Contrasting patterns of genetic diversity and population structure of Armillaria mellea sensu stricto in the eastern and western United States.

PubMed

Baumgartner, Kendra; Travadon, Renaud; Bruhn, Johann; Bergemann, Sarah E

2010-07-01

ABSTRACT Armillaria mellea infects hundreds of plant species in natural and managed ecosystems throughout the Northern hemisphere. Previously reported nuclear genetic divergence between eastern and western U.S. isolates is consistent with the disjunct range of A. mellea in North America, which is restricted mainly to both coasts of the United States. We investigated patterns of population structure and genetic diversity of the eastern (northern and southern Appalachians, Ozarks, and western Great Lakes) and western (Berkeley, Los Angeles, St. Helena, and San Jose, CA) regions of the United States. In total, 156 diploid isolates were genotyped using 12 microsatellite loci. Absence of genetic differentiation within either eastern subpopulations (theta(ST) = -0.002, P = 0.5 ) or western subpopulations (theta(ST) = 0.004, P = 0.3 ) suggests that spore dispersal within each region is sufficient to prevent geographic differentiation. In contrast to the western United States, our finding of more than one genetic cluster of isolates within the eastern United States (K = 3), revealed by Bayesian assignment of multilocus genotypes in STRUCTURE and confirmed by genetic multivariate analyses, suggests that eastern subpopulations are derived from multiple founder sources. The existence of amplifiable and nonamplifiable loci and contrasting patterns of genetic diversity between the two regions demonstrate that there are two geographically isolated, divergent genetic pools of A. mellea in the United States.

WET DEPOSITION FROM CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION IN THREE HIGH-ELEVATION REGIONS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES

EPA Science Inventory

Three regions are identified in the eastern United States that contain substantial land area at high elevations: the Mid Appalachians, eastern New York state, and the New England region. Approximately 75% of the land cover in these areas is forested, with 5.6 to 29% of the total ...

Segment-specific expression of alkaline phosphatase in the Tubifex embryo requires DNA replication and mRNA synthesis.

PubMed

Kitamura, Kaoru; Shimizu, Takashi

2002-04-15

During embryogenesis of the oligochaete annelid Tubifex, segments VII and VIII specifically express mesodermal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in the ventrolateral region. In this study, using specific inhibitors, we examined whether this segment-specific expression of ALP activity depends on DNA replication and RNA transcription. BrdU-incorporation experiments showed that presumptive ALP-expressing cells undergo the last round of DNA replication at 12-24 hr prior to emergence of ALP activity. When this DNA replication was inhibited by aphidicolin, ALP development was completely abrogated in the ventrolateral mesoderm. Similar inhibition of ALP development was also observed in alpha-amanitin-injected embryos. While injection of alpha-amanitin at 24 hr prior to the emergence of ALP activity exerted inhibitory effects on ALP development, injection at 14 hr was no longer effective. In contrast, ALP activity developed normally in cytochalasin-D-treated embryos in which cytokinesis was prevented from occurring for 36 hs prior to appearance of ALP activity. These results suggest that the segment-specific development of ALP activity in the Tubifex embryo depends on DNA replication and mRNA transcription, both of which occur long before the emergence of ALP activity. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Inferring LGM sedimentary and climatic changes in the southern Eastern Alps foreland through the analysis of a 14C ages database (Brenta megafan, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossato, Sandro; Mozzi, Paolo

2016-09-01

The analysis of a database of radiocarbon ages is proposed as a tool for investigating major glaciofluvial systems of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the Alpine foreland, and their relations with glacier dynamics and climatic fluctuations. Our research concerns the Brenta megafan (NE Italy), where 110 radiocarbon dates integrate a robust regional stratigraphic and palaeoclimatic framework. Age-depth models allowed us to calculate sedimentation rates, while the time distribution of peat layers, which recurrently formed in this region during the LGM, were estimated through meta-analysis. The reliability of statistical results was carefully evaluated using Pearson and Spearman coefficients. Sedimentation rates in the Brenta megafan markedly fluctuated during LGM: ≈1.8 m/ka between 40 and 26.7 ka cal BP; ≈3 m/ka between 26.7 and 23.8 ka cal BP and ≈1.4 m/ka from 23.8 to 17.5 ka cal BP, when the distributary system deactivated due to fan-head trenching. This is evidence that sediment input and routing in the glaciofluvial distributary system was particularly efficient during the central part of LGM, when glaciers were stable at their outermost position. Meta-analysis indicates an increase in peat formation in correspondence with global (Heinrich Event 3 and/or the Greenland Interstadial 5.1 and 4 for the 30.5, 29.6 and 28.8 ka cal BP peaks) and regional (23.5 ka cal BP) wet events. Other peaks at 22.2, 21.8, 20.2 and 19 ka cal BP correlate with fluctuations of south-eastern Alpine glaciers. Significant peat formation continued until ≈18 ka cal BP, when the last peak occurred. A marked decrease in peat formation is recorded concomitantly with the onset of Heinrich Event 2 (i.e. the 26 ka cal BP trough). The good correspondence of sedimentary events in the Brenta glaciofluvial system with the dynamics of glaciers and glaciofluvial and lacustrine systems in the southern Eastern Alps suggests a common climatic forcing on the whole region during the LGM. Peat layer formation in the floodplain fens increased significantly in correspondence with glacier withdrawals and/or wetter climatic episodes, constituting a good proxy for climatic fluctuations during glacial periods. It also allows correlations across different continental environments and regions in the northern hemisphere.

Correlations of cave levels, stream terraces and planation surfaces along the River Mur—Timing of landscape evolution along the eastern margin of the Alps

PubMed Central

Wagner, Thomas; Fritz, Harald; Stüwe, Kurt; Nestroy, Othmar; Rodnight, Helena; Hellstrom, John; Benischke, Ralf

2011-01-01

The transition zone of the Eastern Alps to the Pannonian Basin provides one of the best sources of information on landscape evolution of the Eastern Alpine mountain range. The region was non-glaciated during the entire Pleistocene. Thus, direct influence of glacial carving as a landscape forming process can be excluded and relics of landforms are preserved that date back to at least the Late Neogene. In this study, we provide a correlation between various planation surfaces across the orogen-basin transition. In particular, we use stream terraces, planation surfaces and cave levels that cover a vertical spread of some 700 m. Our correlation is used to show that both sides of the transition zone uplifted together starting at least about 5 Ma ago. For our correlation we use recently published terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) burial ages from cave sediments, new optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages of a stream terrace and U–Th ages from speleothems. Minimum age constraints of cave levels from burial ages of cave sediments covering the last ~ 4 Ma are used to place age constraints on surface features by parallelizing cave levels with planation surfaces. The OSL results for the top section of the type locality of the Helfbrunn terrace suggest an Early Würm development (80.5 ± 3.7 to 68.7 ± 4.0 ka). The terrace origin as a penultimate gravel deposit (in classical Alpine terminology Riss) is therefore questioned. U-series speleothem ages from caves nearby indicate formation during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 5c and 5a which are both interstadial warm periods. As OSL ages from the terrace also show a time of deposition during MIS 5a ending at the MIS 5/4 transition, this supports the idea of temperate climatic conditions at the time of deposition. In general, tectonic activity is interpreted to be the main driving force for the formation and evolution of these landforms, whilst climate change is suggested to be of minor importance. Obvious hiatuses in Miocene to Pleistocene sediments are related to ongoing erosion and re-excavation of an uplifting and rejuvenating landscape. PMID:22053124

An electrocardiographic, molecular and biochemical approach to explore the cardioprotective effect of vasopressin and milrinone against phosphide toxicity in rats.

PubMed

Jafari, Abbas; Baghaei, Amir; Solgi, Reza; Baeeri, Maryam; Chamanara, Mohsen; Hassani, Shokoufeh; Gholami, Mahdi; Ostad, Seyed Nasser; Sharifzadeh, Moahmmad; Abdollahi, Mohammad

2015-06-01

The present study was conducted to identify the protective effect of vasopressin (AVP) and milrinone on cardiovascular function, mitochondrial complex activities, cellular ATP reserve, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in rats poisoned by aluminum phosphide (AlP). Rats were divided into five groups (n = 12) including control, AlP (12.5 mg/kg), AlP + AVP (2.0 Units/kg), AlP + milrinone (0.25 mg/kg) and AlP + AVP + milrinone. After treatment, the animals were connected to an electronic cardiovascular monitoring device to monitor electrocardiographic (ECG) parameter. Finally, oxidative stress biomarkers, mitochondrial complex activities, ADP/ATP ratio and apoptosis were evaluated on the heart tissues. Results indicated that AlP administration induced ECG abnormalities along with a decline in blood pressure and heart rate. AVP and milrinone significantly ameliorated these changes in all treated groups. Considerable protective effects on oxidative stress biomarkers, complex IV activity, ADP/ATP ratio and caspase-3 and -9 activities in treated groups were also found. These findings were supported by flow cytometry assay of cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, administration of AVP and milrinone, not only improve cardiovascular functions in AlP poisoned rats in the short time, but after a long time can also restore mitochondrial function and ATP level and reduce the oxidative damage, which prevent cardiomyocytes from entering the apoptotic phase. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential Properties of Human ALP+ Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells vs Their ALP- Counterparts

PubMed Central

Tran, Quynh T; El-Ayachi, Ikbale; Bhatti, Fazal-Ur-Rehman; Bahabri, Rayan; Al-Habib, Mey; Huang, George TJ

2015-01-01

Characterizing subpopulations of stem cells is important to understand stem cell properties. Tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is associated with mineral tissue forming cells as well as stem cells. Information regarding ALP subpopulation of human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) is limited. In the present study, we examined ALP+ and ALP− hPDLSC subpopulations, their surface markers STRO-1 and CD146, and the expression of stemness genes at various cell passages. We found that ALP+ subpopulation had higher levels of STRO-1 (30.6 ± 5.6%) and CD146 (90.4 ± 3.3%) compared to ALP− (STRO-1: 0.5 ± 0.1%; CD146: 75.3 ± 7.2%). ALP+ cells expressed significantly higher levels of stemness associated genes, NANOG, OCT4 and SOX than ALP− cells at low cell passages of 2-3 (p<0.05). ALP+ and ALP− cells had similar osteogenic, chondrogenic and neurogenic potential while ALP−, not ALP+ cells, lacked adipogenic potential. Upon continuous culturing and passaging, ALP+ continued to express higher stemness genes and STRO-1 and CD146 than ALP− cells at ≥passage 19. Under conditions (over-confluence and vitamin C treatment) when ALP+ subpopulation was increased, the stemness gene levels of ALP+ was no longer significantly higher than those in ALP− cells. In conclusion, ALP+ hPDLSCs possess differential properties from their ALP− counterparts. PMID:26807329

Extra-Mediterranean refugia: The rule and not the exception?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Some decades ago, biogeographers distinguished three major faunal types of high importance for Europe: (i) Mediterranean elements with exclusive glacial survival in the Mediterranean refugia, (ii) Siberian elements with glacial refugia in the eastern Palearctic and only postglacial expansion to Europe and (iii) arctic and/or alpine elements with large zonal distributions in the periglacial areas and postglacial retreat to the North and/or into the high mountain systems. Genetic analyses have unravelled numerous additional refugia both of continental and Mediterranean species, thus strongly modifying the biogeographical view of Europe. This modified notion is particularly true for the so-called Siberian species, which in many cases have not immigrated into Europe during the postglacial period, but most likely have survived the last, or even several glacial phases, in extra-Mediterranean refugia in some climatically favourable but geographically limited areas of southern Central and Eastern Europe. Recently, genetic analyses revealed that typical Mediterranean species have also survived the Last Glacial Maximum in cryptic northern refugia (e.g. in the Carpathians or even north of the Alps) in addition to their Mediterranean refuge areas. PMID:22953783

A short note on ground-motion recordings from the M 7.9 Wenchuan, China, earthquake and ground-motion prediction equations in the Central and Eastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wang, Z.; Lu, M.

2011-01-01

The 12 May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake (M 7.9) occurred along the western edge of the eastern China SCR and was well recorded by modern strong-motion instruments: 93 strong-motion stations within 1.4 to 300 km rupture distance recorded the main event. Preliminary comparisons show some similarities between ground-motion attenuation in the Wenchuan region and the central and eastern United States, suggesting that ground motions from the Wenchuan earthquake could be used as a database providing constraints for developing GMPEs for large earthquakes in the central and eastern United States.

Alps, Carpathians and Dinarides-Hellenides: about plates, micro-plates and delaminated crustal blocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmid, Stefan

2014-05-01

Before the onset of Europe-Africa continental collision in the Dinarides-Hellenides (around 60Ma) and in the Alps and Western Carpathians (around 35 Ma), and at a large scale, the dynamics of orogenic processes in the Mediterranean Alpine chains were governed by Europe-Africa plate convergence leading to the disappearance of large parts of intervening oceanic lithosphere, i.e. the northern branch of Neotethys along the Sava-Izmir-Ankara suture and Alpine Tethys along the Valais-Magura suture (Schmid et al. 2008). In spite of this, two major problems concerning the pre-collisional stage are still poorly understood: (1) by now we only start to understand geometry, kinematics and dynamics of the along-strike changes in the polarity of subduction between Alps-Carpathians and Dinarides-Hellenides, and (2) it is not clear yet during exactly which episodes and to what extent intervening rifted continental fragments such as, for example, Iberia-Briançonnais, Tisza, Dacia, Adria-Taurides moved independently as micro-plates, and during which episodes they remained firmly attached to Europa or Africa from which they broke away. As Europe-Africa plate convergence slowed down well below 1 cm/yr at around 30 Ma ago these pre-collisional processes driven by plate convergence on a global scale gave way to more local processes of combined roll-back and crustal delamination in the Pannonian basin of the Carpathian embayment and in the Aegean (as well as in the Western Mediterranean, not discussed in this contribution). In the case of the Carpathian embayment E-directed roll back totally unrelated to Europe-Africa N-S-directed convergence, started at around 20 Ma ago, due to the presence relict oceanic lithosphere in the future Pannonian basin that remained un-subducted during collision. Due to total delamination of the crust from the eastward rolling back European mantle lithosphere the anticlockwise rotating ALCAPA crustal block, consisting of Eastern Alps and Western Carpathian thickened crust ripped of the African plate, invaded the northern part of this oceanic embayment, virtually floating on asthenospheric mantle. The presently still surviving semi-detached Vrancea slab in Romania manifests of the combined effect of roll back and delamination of mantle lithosphere. On the other hand Tisza-Dacia, another crustal block formerly ripped off the European plate and forming a single entity since mid-Cretaceous times, also at least partly floating on asthenospheric mantle, invaded the Carpathian embayment from the south. Thereby the Tisza-Dacia crustal block underwent clockwise rotation by as much as 90° due to the corner effect of the Moesian platform firmly attached to Europe since mid-Cretaceous times (Ustaszewski et al. 2008). In the Dinaric-Aegean realm collision occurred much earlier than in the Alps and the Carpathians, i.e. at around the Cretaceous-Cenozoic boundary, provided that one accepts that there is yet no convincing evidence for the existence of a second "Pindos oceanic domain" closing later, i.e. in Eocene times. However, in spite of early collision, the old subduction zone that consumed the northern branch of Neotethys (Meliata-Vardar) since at least mid-Cretaceous times persisted in the eastern Hellenides (but not in the Dinarides) until now, penetrating the transition zone all the way to a depth of some 1500km (Bijwaard et al. 1998). Continued subduction of mantle lithosphere in the Aegean since 60 Ma was concomitant with complete delamination of lithospheric mantle and lower crust from non-subducted or re-exhumed high pressure crustal flakes of largely continental derivation that were piled up to form the subsequently extended Hellenic orogen (Jolivet & Brun 2010). At around 25 Ma when the southern branch of Neotethys (the present-day Eastern Mediterranean ocean) entered this subduction zone, massive extension and core complex formation in the upper plate combined with an acceleration of south-directed hinge retreat of the lower plate did set in (van Hinsbergen & Schmid 2012). Dinarides and northern Hellenides presently expose either a rather short (about 200km), or in case of northern Dalmatia, no mantle slab at all, due to recent slab break-off (Ustaszewski et al. 2008 and referenes therein). The slab gap in northern Dalmatia is instrumental in allowing for the flow of asthenospheric mantle into the Pannonian realm necessary to drive asthenospheric upwelling in the Pannonian basin. At the same time it allows for the roll back of the Aegean slab. Bijwaard, H., Spakman, W., and Engdahl, E.R., 1998. Closing the gap between regional and global travel time tomography: Journal of Geophysical Research, 103: 30'055-30'078. Jolivet, L., and J.-P. Brun, 2010. Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of the Aegean, Int. J. Earth Sci. 99: 109-138, doi:10.1007/s00531-008-0366-4. Schmid, S.M., Bernoulli, D., Fügenschuh, B., Matenco, L., Schefer, S., Schuster, R., Tischler, M. & Ustaszewski, K., 2008. The Alpine-Carpathian-Dinaridic orogenic system: correlation and evolution of tectonic units. Swiss Journal of Geosciences, 101(1): 139-183. Ustaszewski, K., Schmid, S.M., Fügenschuh, B., Tischler, M., Kissling, E. & Spakman, W. 2008. A map-view restoration of the Alpine-Carpathian-Dinaridic system for the Early Miocene. In: Orogenic processes in the Alpine collision zone (N. Froitzheim & S.M. Schmid, editors), Swiss Journal of Geosciences 101/Supplement 1: S273-S294. van Hinsbergen, D.J.J. & Schmid, S.M., 2012: Map view restoration of Aegean-West Anatolian accretion and extension since the Eocene. Tectonics 31: TC5005, doi:10.1029/2012TC003132.

Integrating expert opinion with modelling for quantitative multi-hazard risk assessment in the Eastern Italian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Lixia; van Westen, Cees J.; Hussin, Haydar; Ciurean, Roxana L.; Turkington, Thea; Chavarro-Rincon, Diana; Shrestha, Dhruba P.

2016-11-01

Extreme rainfall events are the main triggering causes for hydro-meteorological hazards in mountainous areas, where development is often constrained by the limited space suitable for construction. In these areas, hazard and risk assessments are fundamental for risk mitigation, especially for preventive planning, risk communication and emergency preparedness. Multi-hazard risk assessment in mountainous areas at local and regional scales remain a major challenge because of lack of data related to past events and causal factors, and the interactions between different types of hazards. The lack of data leads to a high level of uncertainty in the application of quantitative methods for hazard and risk assessment. Therefore, a systematic approach is required to combine these quantitative methods with expert-based assumptions and decisions. In this study, a quantitative multi-hazard risk assessment was carried out in the Fella River valley, prone to debris flows and flood in the north-eastern Italian Alps. The main steps include data collection and development of inventory maps, definition of hazard scenarios, hazard assessment in terms of temporal and spatial probability calculation and intensity modelling, elements-at-risk mapping, estimation of asset values and the number of people, physical vulnerability assessment, the generation of risk curves and annual risk calculation. To compare the risk for each type of hazard, risk curves were generated for debris flows, river floods and flash floods. Uncertainties were expressed as minimum, average and maximum values of temporal and spatial probability, replacement costs of assets, population numbers, and physical vulnerability. These result in minimum, average and maximum risk curves. To validate this approach, a back analysis was conducted using the extreme hydro-meteorological event that occurred in August 2003 in the Fella River valley. The results show a good performance when compared to the historical damage reports.

Using forensic microsatellites to decipher the genetic structure of linguistic and geographic isolates: A survey in the eastern Italian Alps.

PubMed

Montinaro, Francesco; Boschi, Ilaria; Trombetta, Federica; Merigioli, Sara; Anagnostou, Paolo; Battaggia, Cinzia; Capocasa, Marco; Crivellaro, Federica; Destro Bisol, Giovanni; Coia, Valentina

2012-12-01

The study of geographically and/or linguistically isolated populations could represent a potential area of interaction between population and forensic genetics. These investigations may be useful to evaluate the suitability of loci which have been selected using forensic criteria for bio-anthropological studies. At the same time, they give us an opportunity to evaluate the efficiency of forensic tools for parentage testing in groups with peculiar allele frequency profiles. Within the frame of a long-term project concerning Italian linguistic isolates, we studied 15 microsatellite loci (Identifiler kit) comprising the CODIS panel in 11 populations from the north-eastern Italian Alps (Veneto, Trentino and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions). All our analyses of inter-population differentiation highlight the genetic distinctiveness of most Alpine populations comparing them either to each other or with large and non-isolated Italian populations. Interestingly, we brought to light some aspects of population genetic structure which cannot be detected using unilinear polymorphisms. In fact, the analysis of genotypic disequilibrium between loci detected signals of population substructure when all the individuals of Alpine populations are pooled in a single group. Furthermore, despite the relatively low number of loci analyzed, genetic differentiation among Alpine populations was detected at individual level using a Bayesian method to cluster multilocus genotypes. Among the various populations studied, the four linguistic minorities (Fassa Valley, Luserna, Sappada and Sauris) showed the most pronounced diversity and signatures of a peculiar genetic ancestry. Finally, we show that database replacement may affect estimates of probability of paternity even when the local database is replaced by another based on populations which share a common genetic background but which differ in their demographic history. These findings point to the importance of considering the demographic and cultural profile of populations in forensic applications, even in a context of substantial genetic homogeneity such as that of European populations. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling four occurred debris flow events in the Dolomites area (North-Eastern Italian Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boreggio, Mauro; Gregoretti, Carlo; Degetto, Massimo; Bernard, Martino

2016-04-01

Four occurred debris flows in the Dolomites area (North-Eastern Italian Alps) are modeled by back-analysis. The four debris flows events are those occurred at Rio Lazer (Trento) on the 4th of November 1966, at Fiames (Belluno) on the 5th of July 2006, at Rovina di Cancia (Belluno) on the 18th of July 2009 and at Rio Val Molinara (Trento) on the 15th of August 2010. In all the events, runoff entrained sediments present on natural channels and formed a solid-liquid wave that routed downstream. The first event concerns the routing of debris flow on an inhabited fan. The second event the deviation of debris flow from the usual path due to an obstruction with the excavation of a channel in the scree and the downstream spreading in a wood. The third event concerns the routing of debris flow in a channel with an ending the reservoir, its overtopping and final spreading in the inhabited area. The fourth event concerns the routing of debris flow along the main channel downstream the initiation area until spreading just upstream a village. All the four occurred debris flows are simulated by modeling runoff that entrained debris flow for determining the solid-liquid hydrograph. The routing of the solid-liquid hydrograph is simulated by a bi-phase cell model based on the kinematic approach. The comparison between simulated and measured erosion and deposition depths is satisfactory. Nearly the same parameters for computing erosion and deposition were used for all the four occurred events. The maps of erosion and deposition depths are obtained by comparing the results of post-event surveys with the pre-event DEM. The post-event surveys were conducted by using different instruments (LiDAR and GPS) or the combination photos-single points depth measurements (in this last case it is possible obtaining the deposition/erosion depths by means of stereoscopy techniques).

Three occurred debris flows in North-Eastern Italian Alps: documentation and modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boreggio, Mauro; Gregoretti, Carlo; Degetto, Massimo; Bernard, Martino

2015-04-01

Three occurred events of debris flows are documented and modeled by back-analysis. The three debris flows events are those occurred at Rio Lazer on the 4th of November 1966, at Fiames on the 5th of July 2006 and at Rovina di Cancia on the 18th of July 2009. All the three sites are located in the North-Eastern Italian Alps. In all the events, runoff entrained sediments present on natural channels and formed a solid-liquid wave that routed downstream. The first event concerns the routing of debris flow on an inhabited fan. Map of deposition pattern of sediments are built by using post-events photos through stereoscopy techniques. The second event concerns the routing of debris flow along the main channel descending from Pomagagnon Fork. Due to the obstruction of the cross-section debris flow deviated from the original path on the left side and routed downstream by cutting a new channel on the fan. It dispersed in multiple paths when met the wooden area. Map of erosion and deposition depths are built after using a combination of Lidar and GPS data. The third event concerns the routing of debris flow in the Rovina di Cancia channel that filled the reservoir built at the end of the channel and locally overtopped the retaining wall on the left side. A wave of mud and debris inundated the area downstream the overtopping point. Map of erosion and deposition depths are obtained by subtracting two GPS surveys, pre and post event. All the three occurred debris flows are simulated by modeling runoff that entrained debris flow for determining the solid-liquid hydrograph downstream the triggering areas. The routing of the solid-liquid hydrograph was simulated by a bi-phase cell model based on the kinematic approach. The comparison between simulated and measured erosion and deposition depths is satisfactory. The same parameters for computing erosion and deposition were used for the three occurred events.

Silviculture of forests in the Eastern United States

Treesearch

Daniel C. Dey; John C. Brissette; Callie J. Schweitzer; James M. Guldin

2012-01-01

The forests of the Eastern United States are diverse and provide many products and amenities for people living in the area and beyond. Eastern temperate forests play an important role in determining water yield and quality. They have the potential to sequester large quantities of carbon and influence air quality, and thus climate. Our standard of living is very much...

Variation in winter survival of the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) across the eastern United States

Treesearch

R. Talbot, III Trotter; Kathleen S. Shields

2009-01-01

The hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand) is a small, aphid-like insect native to East Asia and western North America. First documented in the eastern United States in Richmond, VA, in 1951, it has spread to at least 17 states, where it causes increased mortality among both eastern and Carolina hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis...

Earthquake catalog for estimation of maximum earthquake magnitude, Central and Eastern United States: Part B, historical earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wheeler, Russell L.

2014-01-01

Computation of probabilistic earthquake hazard requires an estimate of Mmax: the moment magnitude of the largest earthquake that is thought to be possible within a specified geographic region. The region specified in this report is the Central and Eastern United States and adjacent Canada. Parts A and B of this report describe the construction of a global catalog of moderate to large earthquakes that occurred worldwide in tectonic analogs of the Central and Eastern United States. Examination of histograms of the magnitudes of these earthquakes allows estimation of Central and Eastern United States Mmax. The catalog and Mmax estimates derived from it are used in the 2014 edition of the U.S. Geological Survey national seismic-hazard maps. Part A deals with prehistoric earthquakes, and this part deals with historical events.

IFLA General Conference, 1986. LIBER. Papers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, The Hague (Netherlands).

Three papers on special book collections were presented at the 1986 IFLA general conference. They include: (1) "Far Eastern Collections in the United Kingdom" (B. C. Bloomfield, United Kingdom), which discusses the background of Eastern Studies in the United Kingdom (UK) and the coordination of library provision for Far Eastern…

Geomorphological response of a landscape to long-term tectonic and glacial processes: the upper Rhône basin, Central Swiss Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stutenbecker, Laura; Schlunegger, Fritz

2015-04-01

The Rhône River in the Central Swiss Alps drains a 5380 km2 large basin that shows a high spatial variability of bedrock lithology, exhumation rate, glacial conditioning and climate. All of these factors were recently discussed to control erosion rates in orogenic settings in general, and particularly in the Alps (e.g. Wittmann et al. 2007, Vernon et al. 2008, Norton et al. 2010a). Thanks to various and densely distributed data, the upper Rhône basin located between the Aar massif and Lake Geneva is a suitable natural laboratory to analyze the landscape's geomorphological state and controlling factors at a basin-scale. In this study, we extract geomorphological parameters along the channels of ca. 50 tributary basins of various sizes that contribute to the sediment budget of the Rhône River either through sediment supply by torrents or debris flows. Their catchments are located in either granitic basement rocks (External Massifs), oceanic meta-sedimentary and ophiolitic rocks (Penninic nappes) or fine-grained continental-margin sediments (Helvetic nappes). The analysis of longitudinal river profiles from DEMs and slope/area relationships show that all tributary rivers within the Rhône basin are in topographic transient state that is expressed by mainly convex or concave-convex channel shapes with several knickpoints of either tectonic-lithological or glacial origin. Furthermore, the frequency distribution of elevations (hypsometry) along the river channel allows identifying glacially inherited morphologies and the recent erosional front. The combination of those different geomorphological data yields to a categorization of the tributary rivers into three endmember groups: (1) streams with highly convex profiles, testifying to a strong glacial inheritance, (2) concave-convex channels with several knickzones and inherited morphologies of past glaciations, (3) predominantly concave, relatively steep rivers with minor knickpoints and inner gorges. Assuming that increasing concavity is an expression of advancing topographic equilibration (Wobus et al. 2006, and others), tributaries within the Rhône basin are in different states of equilibrium. Interestingly, the three groups correspond with distinct litho-tectonic units: Tributaries of group 1 are frequently found in the External Massifs, whereas channels of group 2 and 3 are located in the Penninic and Helvetic nappes, respectively. Fission-track data from the Alps (Vernon et al. 2008) also suggest a spatially variable exhumation history closely related to the different litho-tectonic units, ranging from youngest exhumation in the External Massifs, intermediate in the Helvetic units and oldest in the Penninic units. Non-equilibrated river profiles in the External Massifs can be explained by a combination of recent glaciation and exhumation. In contrast, river profiles in the Helvetic nappes appear to be closer to topographic steady state. Rivers located in the Penninic nappes, which show much older exhumation ages, were probably perturbed mainly by multiple glaciations and have not equilibrated yet. These observations suggest that differences in response times of river channels are probably conditioned by the differences in lithologies and tectonic histories of the three litho-tectonic domains. Norton, K.P., Abbühl, L.M. and Schlunegger, F., 2010a, Glacial conditioning as an erosional driving force in the Central Alps: Geology, v.38, p. 655-658 Vernon, A.J., van der Beek, P.A., Sinclair, H.D., Rahn, M.K., 2008, Increase in late Neogene denudation of the European Alps confirmed by analysis of a fission-track thermochronology database. EPSL, v. 270, p. 316-329. Wittmann, H., von Blanckenburg, F., Kruesmann, T., Norton, K.P., and Kubik, P.W., 2007, Relation between rock uplift and denudation from cosmogenic nuclides in river sediment in the Central Alps of Switzerland: J. Geophys. Res., v. 112, p. F04010 Wobus, C., Whipple, K.X, Kirby, E., Snyder, E., Johnson, J., Spyropolou, K., Crosby, B., and Sheehan, D., 2006, Tectonics from topography: Procedures, promise, and pitfalls, in Willett, S.D. et al., eds., Tectonics, climate, and landscape evolution: GSA Spec. Paper 398, p. 55-74

Characterization and Manipulation of the Pathway-Specific Late Regulator AlpW Reveals Streptomyces ambofaciens as a New Producer of Kinamycins ▿ †

PubMed Central

Bunet, Robert; Song, Lijiang; Mendes, Marta Vaz; Corre, Christophe; Hotel, Laurence; Rouhier, Nicolas; Framboisier, Xavier; Leblond, Pierre; Challis, Gregory L.; Aigle, Bertrand

2011-01-01

The genome sequence of Streptomyces ambofaciens, a species known to produce the congocidine and spiramycin antibiotics, has revealed the presence of numerous gene clusters predicted to be involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Among them, the type II polyketide synthase-encoding alp cluster was shown to be responsible for the biosynthesis of a compound with antibacterial activity. Here, by means of a deregulation approach, we gained access to workable amounts of the antibiotics for structure elucidation. These compounds, previously designated as alpomycin, were shown to be known members of kinamycin family of antibiotics. Indeed, a mutant lacking AlpW, a member of the TetR regulator family, was shown to constitutively produce kinamycins. Comparative transcriptional analyses showed that expression of alpV, the essential regulator gene required for activation of the biosynthetic genes, is strongly maintained during the stationary growth phase in the alpW mutant, a stage at which alpV transcripts and thereby transcripts of the biosynthetic genes normally drop off. Recombinant AlpW displayed DNA binding activity toward specific motifs in the promoter region of its own gene and that of alpV and alpZ. These recognition sequences are also targets for AlpZ, the γ-butyrolactone-like receptor involved in the regulation of the alp cluster. However, unlike that of AlpZ, the AlpW DNA-binding ability seemed to be insensitive to the signaling molecules controlling antibiotic biosynthesis. Together, the results presented in this study reveal S. ambofaciens to be a new producer of kinamycins and AlpW to be a key late repressor of the cellular control of kinamycin biosynthesis. PMID:21193612

Cloning and Expression Analysis of Genes Encoding Lytic Endopeptidases L1 and L5 from Lysobacter sp. Strain XL1

PubMed Central

Lapteva, Y. S.; Zolova, O. E.; Shlyapnikov, M. G.; Tsfasman, I. M.; Muranova, T. A.; Stepnaya, O. A.; Kulaev, I. S.

2012-01-01

Lytic enzymes are the group of hydrolases that break down structural polymers of the cell walls of various microorganisms. In this work, we determined the nucleotide sequences of the Lysobacter sp. strain XL1 alpA and alpB genes, which code for, respectively, secreted lytic endopeptidases L1 (AlpA) and L5 (AlpB). In silico analysis of their amino acid sequences showed these endopeptidases to be homologous proteins synthesized as precursors similar in structural organization: the mature enzyme sequence is preceded by an N-terminal signal peptide and a pro region. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis, endopeptidases AlpA and AlpB were assigned to the S1E family [clan PA(S)] of serine peptidases. Expression of the alpA and alpB open reading frames (ORFs) in Escherichia coli confirmed that they code for functionally active lytic enzymes. Each ORF was predicted to have the Shine-Dalgarno sequence located at a canonical distance from the start codon and a potential Rho-independent transcription terminator immediately after the stop codon. The alpA and alpB mRNAs were experimentally found to be monocistronic; transcription start points were determined for both mRNAs. The synthesis of the alpA and alpB mRNAs was shown to occur predominantly in the late logarithmic growth phase. The amount of alpA mRNA in cells of Lysobacter sp. strain XL1 was much higher, which correlates with greater production of endopeptidase L1 than of L5. PMID:22865082

Cloning and expression analysis of genes encoding lytic endopeptidases L1 and L5 from Lysobacter sp. strain XL1.

PubMed

Lapteva, Y S; Zolova, O E; Shlyapnikov, M G; Tsfasman, I M; Muranova, T A; Stepnaya, O A; Kulaev, I S; Granovsky, I E

2012-10-01

Lytic enzymes are the group of hydrolases that break down structural polymers of the cell walls of various microorganisms. In this work, we determined the nucleotide sequences of the Lysobacter sp. strain XL1 alpA and alpB genes, which code for, respectively, secreted lytic endopeptidases L1 (AlpA) and L5 (AlpB). In silico analysis of their amino acid sequences showed these endopeptidases to be homologous proteins synthesized as precursors similar in structural organization: the mature enzyme sequence is preceded by an N-terminal signal peptide and a pro region. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis, endopeptidases AlpA and AlpB were assigned to the S1E family [clan PA(S)] of serine peptidases. Expression of the alpA and alpB open reading frames (ORFs) in Escherichia coli confirmed that they code for functionally active lytic enzymes. Each ORF was predicted to have the Shine-Dalgarno sequence located at a canonical distance from the start codon and a potential Rho-independent transcription terminator immediately after the stop codon. The alpA and alpB mRNAs were experimentally found to be monocistronic; transcription start points were determined for both mRNAs. The synthesis of the alpA and alpB mRNAs was shown to occur predominantly in the late logarithmic growth phase. The amount of alpA mRNA in cells of Lysobacter sp. strain XL1 was much higher, which correlates with greater production of endopeptidase L1 than of L5.

Cloning of soluble alkaline phosphatase cDNA and molecular basis of the polymorphic nature in alkaline phosphatase isozymes of Bombyx mori midgut.

PubMed

Itoh, M; Kanamori, Y; Takao, M; Eguchi, M

1999-02-01

A cDNA coding for soluble type alkaline phosphatase (sALP) of Bombyx mori was isolated. Deduced amino acid sequence showed high identities to various ALPs and partial similarities to ATPase of Manduca sexta. Using this cDNA sequence as a probe, the molecular basis of electrophoretic polymorphism in sALP and membrane-bound type ALP (mALP) was studied. As for mALP, the result suggested that post-translational modification was important for the proteins to express activity and to represent their extensive polymorphic nature, whereas the magnitude of activities was mainly regulated by transcription. On the other hand, sALP zymogram showed poor polymorphism, but one exception was the null mutant, in which the sALP gene was largely lost. Interestingly, the sALP gene was shown to be transcribed into two mRNAs of different sizes, 2.0 and 2.4 Kb. In addition to the null mutant of sALP, we found a null mutant for mALP. Both of these mutants seem phenotypically silent, suggesting that the functional differentiation between these isozymes is not perfect, so that they can still work mutually and complement each other as an indispensable enzyme for B. mori.

Constraining axion-like-particles with hard X-ray emission from magnetars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fortin, Jean-François; Sinha, Kuver

2018-06-01

Axion-like particles (ALPs) produced in the core of a magnetar will convert to photons in the magnetosphere, leading to possible signatures in the hard X-ray band. We perform a detailed calculation of the ALP-to-photon conversion probability in the magnetosphere, recasting the coupled differential equations that describe ALP-photon propagation into a form that is efficient for large scale numerical scans. We show the dependence of the conversion probability on the ALP energy, mass, ALP-photon coupling, magnetar radius, surface magnetic field, and the angle between the magnetic field and direction of propagation. Along the way, we develop an analytic formalism to perform similar calculations in more general n-state oscillation systems. Assuming ALP emission rates from the core that are just subdominant to neutrino emission, we calculate the resulting constraints on the ALP mass versus ALP-photon coupling space, taking SGR 1806-20 as an example. In particular, we take benchmark values for the magnetar radius and core temperature, and constrain the ALP parameter space by the requirement that the luminosity from ALP-to-photon conversion should not exceed the total observed luminosity from the magnetar. The resulting constraints are competitive with constraints from helioscope experiments in the relevant part of ALP parameter space.

Field-Evolved Mode 1 Resistance of the Fall Armyworm to Transgenic Cry1Fa-Expressing Corn Associated with Reduced Cry1Fa Toxin Binding and Midgut Alkaline Phosphatase Expression

PubMed Central

Jakka, Siva R. K.; Gong, Liang; Hasler, James; Banerjee, Rahul; Sheets, Joel J.; Narva, Kenneth; Blanco, Carlos A.

2015-01-01

Insecticidal protein genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are expressed by transgenic Bt crops (Bt crops) for effective and environmentally safe pest control. The development of resistance to these insecticidal proteins is considered the most serious threat to the sustainability of Bt crops. Resistance in fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) populations from Puerto Rico to transgenic corn producing the Cry1Fa insecticidal protein resulted, for the first time in the United States, in practical resistance, and Bt corn was withdrawn from the local market. In this study, we used a field-collected Cry1Fa corn-resistant strain (456) of S. frugiperda to identify the mechanism responsible for field-evolved resistance. Binding assays detected reduced Cry1Fa, Cry1Ab, and Cry1Ac but not Cry1Ca toxin binding to midgut brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from the larvae of strain 456 compared to that from the larvae of a susceptible (Ben) strain. This binding phenotype is descriptive of the mode 1 type of resistance to Bt toxins. A comparison of the transcript levels for putative Cry1 toxin receptor genes identified a significant downregulation (>90%) of a membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which translated to reduced ALP protein levels and a 75% reduction in ALP activity in BBMV from 456 compared to that of Ben larvae. We cloned and heterologously expressed this ALP from susceptible S. frugiperda larvae and demonstrated that it specifically binds with Cry1Fa toxin. This study provides a thorough mechanistic description of field-evolved resistance to a transgenic Bt crop and supports an association between resistance and reduced Cry1Fa toxin binding and levels of a putative Cry1Fa toxin receptor, ALP, in the midguts of S. frugiperda larvae. PMID:26637593

Collider probes of axion-like particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, Martin; Neubert, Matthias; Thamm, Andrea

2017-12-01

Axion-like particles (ALPs), which are gauge-singlets under the Standard Model (SM), appear in many well-motivated extensions of the SM. Describing the interactions of ALPs with SM fields by means of an effective Lagrangian, we discuss ALP decays into SM particles at one-loop order, including for the first time a calculation of the a → πππ decay rates for ALP masses below a few GeV. We argue that, if the ALP couples to at least some SM particles with couplings of order (0.01 - 1) TeV-1, its mass must be above 1 MeV. Taking into account the possibility of a macroscopic ALP decay length, we show that large regions of so far unconstrained parameter space can be explored by searches for the exotic, on-shell Higgs and Z decays h → Za, h → aa and Z → γa in Run-2 of the LHC with an integrated luminosity of 300 fb-1. This includes the parameter space in which ALPs can explain the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. Considering subsequent ALP decays into photons and charged leptons, we show that the LHC provides unprecedented sensitivity to the ALP-photon and ALP-lepton couplings in the mass region above a few MeV, even if the relevant ALP couplings are loop suppressed and the a → γγ and a → ℓ+ℓ- branching ratios are significantly less than 1. We also discuss constraints on the ALP parameter space from electroweak precision tests.

A regional assessment of emerald ash borer impacts in the Eastern United States: ash mortality and abundance trends in time and space

Treesearch

Randall S. Morin; Scott A. Pugh; Andrew M. Liebhold; Susan J. Crocker

2015-01-01

The nonnative insect, emerald ash borer (Agrilus plannipennis Fairmaire), has caused extensive mortality of ash tree species (Fraxinus spp.) in the eastern United States. As of 2012, the pest had been detected in about 15 percent of the counties in the 37 states that comprise the natural range of ash in forests of the eastern...

Nuclear translocation of the cytoskeleton-associated protein, smALP, upon induction of skeletal muscle differentiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cambier, Linda; Pomies, Pascal, E-mail: pascal.pomies@crbm.cnrs.fr

2011-06-17

Highlights: {yields} The cytoskeleton-associated protein, smALP, is expressed in differentiated skeletal muscle. {yields} smALP is translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of C2C12 myoblasts upon induction of myogenesis. {yields} The differentiation-dependent nuclear translocation of smALP occurs in parallel with the nuclear accumulation of myogenin. {yields} The LIM domain of smALP is essential for the nuclear accumulation of the protein. {yields} smALP might act in the nucleus to control some critical aspect of the muscle differentiation process. -- Abstract: The skALP isoform has been shown to play a critical role in actin organization and anchorage within the Z-discs of skeletalmore » muscles, but no data is available on the function of the smALP isoform in skeletal muscle cells. Here, we show that upon induction of differentiation a nuclear translocation of smALP from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of C2C12 myoblasts, concomitant to an up-regulation of the protein expression, occurs in parallel with the nuclear accumulation of myogenin. Moreover, we demonstrate that the LIM domain of smALP is essential for the nuclear translocation of the protein.« less

Fission yeast Alp14 is a dose-dependent plus end–tracking microtubule polymerase

PubMed Central

Al-Bassam, Jawdat; Kim, Hwajin; Flor-Parra, Ignacio; Lal, Neeraj; Velji, Hamida; Chang, Fred

2012-01-01

XMAP215/Dis1 proteins are conserved tubulin-binding TOG-domain proteins that regulate microtubule (MT) plus-end dynamics. Here we show that Alp14, a XMAP215 orthologue in fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, has properties of a MT polymerase. In vivo, Alp14 localizes to growing MT plus ends in a manner independent of Mal3 (EB1). alp14-null mutants display short interphase MTs with twofold slower assembly rate and frequent pauses. Alp14 is a homodimer that binds a single tubulin dimer. In vitro, purified Alp14 molecules track growing MT plus ends and accelerate MT assembly threefold. TOG-domain mutants demonstrate that tubulin binding is critical for function and plus end localization. Overexpression of Alp14 or only its TOG domains causes complete MT loss in vivo, and high Alp14 concentration inhibits MT assembly in vitro. These inhibitory effects may arise from Alp14 sequestration of tubulin and effects on the MT. Our studies suggest that Alp14 regulates the polymerization state of tubulin by cycling between a tubulin dimer–bound cytoplasmic state and a MT polymerase state that promotes rapid MT assembly. PMID:22696680

Froebel Crosses the Alps: Introducing the Kindergarten in Italy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albisetti, James C.

2009-01-01

The kindergarten was, in all countries but Germany, a foreign import. The most familiar aspect of its diffusion to American scholars is the spread of Froebel's teachings into England and the United States by emigrants who had left the German Confederation after the failure of the revolutions of 1848-49. Familiar as well are the propaganda efforts…

The XMAP215 Ortholog Alp14 Promotes Microtubule Nucleation in Fission Yeast.

PubMed

Flor-Parra, Ignacio; Iglesias-Romero, Ana Belén; Chang, Fred

2018-06-04

The organization and number of microtubules (MTs) in a cell depend on the proper regulation of MT nucleation. Currently, the mechanism of nucleation is the most poorly understood aspect of MT dynamics. XMAP215/chTOG/Alp14/Stu2 proteins are MT polymerases that stimulate MT polymerization at MT plus ends by binding and releasing tubulin dimers. Although these proteins also localize to MT organizing centers and have nucleating activity in vitro, it is not yet clear whether these proteins participate in MT nucleation in vivo. Here, we demonstrate that in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the XMAP215 ortholog Alp14 is critical for efficient MT nucleation in vivo. In multiple assays, loss of Alp14 function led to reduced nucleation rate and numbers of interphase MT bundles. Conversely, activation of Alp14 led to increased nucleation frequency. Alp14 associated with Mto1 and γ-tubulin complex components, and artificially targeting Alp14 to the γ-tubulin ring complexes (γ-TuRCs) stimulated nucleation. In imaging individual nucleation events, we found that Alp14 transiently associated with a γ-tubulin particle shortly before the appearance of a new MT. The transforming acidic coiled-coil (TACC) ortholog Alp7 mediated the localization of Alp14 at nucleation sites but not plus ends, and was required for efficient nucleation but not for MT polymerization. Our findings provide the strongest evidence to date that Alp14 serves as a critical MT nucleation factor in vivo. We suggest a model in which Alp14 associates with the γ-tubulin complex in an Alp7-dependent manner to facilitate the assembly or stabilization of the nascent MT. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of rat serum alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme by means of wheat germ agglutinin.

PubMed

Wada, H; Niwa, N; Hayakawa, T; Tsuge, H

1997-01-01

Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) precipitates bone type serum alkaline phosphatase (sALP) isoenzyme specifically. The precipitates are composed of the macromolecules of WGA and "bone type sALP" (WGA-ALP complex). In order to use bone type sALP as a marker in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), a method to separate "bone type sALP" from the "WGA-ALP complex" was established by using N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc)-Sepharose 6E column chromatography. It was concluded that this method is useful for clinical examination in the rat.

National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program Report to Congress: An Integrated Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

tion, Title IV includes a market-based program that provides economic incentives (CENR) of the National Science and Technology Council. for...Eastern United States Figure 19. Comparison of annual ambient nitrate (NO3 -) concentrations in rural Eastern United States Figure 20. Comparison... nitrate (NO3 -) deposition in the United States Figure 24. Comparison of annual concentrations of nitrate (NO3 -) in wet deposition in the United States

Antibacterial activity of antileukoprotease.

PubMed Central

Hiemstra, P S; Maassen, R J; Stolk, J; Heinzel-Wieland, R; Steffens, G J; Dijkman, J H

1996-01-01

Antileukoprotease (ALP), or secretory leukocyte proteinase inhibitor, is an endogenous inhibitor of serine proteinases that is present in various external secretions. ALP, one of the major inhibitors of serine proteinases present in the human lung, is a potent reversible inhibitor of elastase and, to a lesser extent, of cathepsin G. In equine neutrophils, an antimicrobial polypeptide that has some of the characteristics of ALP has been identified (M. A. Couto, S. S. L. Harwig, J. S. Cullor, J. P. Hughes, and R. I. Lehrer, Infect. Immun. 60:5042-5047, 1992). This report, together with the cationic nature of ALP, led us to investigate the antimicrobial activity of ALP. ALP was shown to display marked in vitro antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. On a molar basis, the activity of ALP was lower than that of two other cationic antimicrobial polypeptides, lysozyme and defensin. ALP comprises two homologous domains: its proteinase-inhibitory activities are known to be located in the second COOH-terminal domain, and the function of its first NH2-terminal domain is largely unknown. Incubation of intact ALP or its isolated first domain with E. coli or S. aureus resulted in killing of these bacteria, whereas its second domain displayed very little antibacterial activity. Together these data suggest a putative antimicrobial role for the first domain of ALP and indicate that its antimicrobial activity may equip ALP to contribute to host defense against infection. PMID:8890201

AIR QUALITY OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES

EPA Science Inventory

Atmospheric concentrations of ozone and fine particulate matter continue to exceed their standards in many parts of the eastern United States. However, the peak concentration levels and number of ozone exceedances have decreased substantially in recent years due, in part, to the...

Pathogenicity of Phytophthora species isolated from rhizosphere soil in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Y. Balci; S. Balci; W.L. MacDonald; K.W. Gottschalk

2008-01-01

Pathogenicity of seven Phytophthora species was assessed by inoculation of stem and foliar tissues of oak species (Quercus spp.) native to the eastern United States. Phytophthora cambivora, P. cinnamomi, P. citricola, P. europaea, P. quercina...

Heavy precipitation events in northern Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giannakaki, Paraskevi; Martius, Olivia

2013-04-01

Heavy precipitation events in the Alpine region often cause floods, rock-falls and mud slides with severe consequences for population and economy. Breaking synoptic Rossby waves located over western Europe, play a central role in triggering such heavy rain events in southern Switzerland (e.g. Massacand et al. 1998). In contrast, synoptic scale structures triggering heavy precipitation on the north side of the Swiss Alps and orographic effects have so far not been studied comprehensively. An observation based high resolution precipitation data set for Switzerland and the Alps (MeteoSwiss) is used to identify heavy precipitation events affecting the north side of the Swiss Alps for the time period 1961-2010. For these events a detailed statistical and dynamical analysis of the upper level flow is conducted using ECMWFs ERA-40 and ERA-Interim reanalysis data sets. For the analysis north side of the Swiss Alps is divided in two investigation areas north-eastern and western Switzerland following the Swiss climate change scenarios (Bey et al. 2011). A subjective classification of upper level structures triggering heavy precipitation events in the areas of interest is presented. Four classes are defined based on the orientation and formation of the dynamical tropopause during extreme events in the northern part of Switzerland and its sub-regions. The analysis is extended by a climatology of breaking waves and cut-offs following the method of Wernli and Sprenger (2007) to examine their presence and location during extreme events. References Bey I., Croci-Maspoli M., Fuhrer J., Kull C, Appenzeller C., Knutti R. and Schär C. Swiss Climate Change Scenarios CH2011, C2SM, MeteoSwiss, ETH, NCCR Climate, OcCC (2011), http://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-a-006720559 Massacand A., H. Wernli, and H.C. Davies, 1998. Heavy precipitation on the Alpine South side: An upper-level precursor. Geophys. Res. Lett., 25, 1435-1438. MeteoSwiss 2011. Documentation of Meteoswiss grid-data products, daily precipitation (final analysis): Rhiresd. Available at: http://www.meteosuisse.admin.ch/web/en/services/data_portal/gridded_datasets/precip.html Wernli. H., and M. Sprenger, 2007. Identification and ERA-15 climatology of potential vorticity streamers and cutoffs near the extratropical tropopause. J. Atmos. Sci., 64, 1569-1586.

Effects of seasonal snow and climatic controls on spring and autumn phenology in Alpine forest regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, J.; Kneubühler, M.; Garonna, I.; Jong, R. D.; Schaepman, M. E.

2017-12-01

Seasonal accumulation and melt of snow in mountainous regions varies with meteorological factors and affects forest phenology in various ways. However, our knowledge about the relationship between seasonal snow and forest phenology - and particularly its topographical variation - is still limited and needs further investigation. We tested the relationship between a number of snow, meteorological and land surface phenology metrics (satellite-derived and gridded) in the forested regions of the Swiss Alps for the period of 2003-2014. Satellite-derived start of season and end of season metrics (SOS and EOS, respectively), in combination with snow accumulation (SA), snow cover melt date (SCMD), monthly maximum, mean and minimum temperature, monthly mean relative sunshine duration and precipitation were considered in our analysis. We calculated Spearman's rank correlation of interannual differences (Δ) of SOS and EOS with snow and meteorological metrics and examined the variation of these correlations with elevation (from 200 up to 2400 meter above sea level (m a.s.l.)). We found SOS to have a significant (p < 0.05) positive correlation with both SCMD (mean R=0.71, over 34.2% of all pixels) and SA (mean R=0.62, over 19.0% of all pixels). On the other hand, SOS showed a significant negative correlation with spring temperature and relative sunshine duration. EOS showed significant positive correlation with autumn temperature (mean R=0.70, over 30.4% of all pixels). Moreover, we found the forest phenology of the northern and eastern Swiss Alps to be more sensitive to seasonal snow but less sensitive to meteorological factors than in the southern and western Swiss Alps. The areas which are sensitive to seasonal snow and meteorological factors are more pronounced at higher elevations. We conclude that the effect of snow melt on spring phenology is of equal magnitude as spring temperature and relative sunshine duration. Autumn forest phenology is mainly influenced by autumn temperature. The effects of seasonal snow and climatic controls on spring and autumn phenology are more pronounced at higher than at lower elevations. We suggest that alpine forest ecosystems above 1500 m a.s.l. will therefore be particularly sensitive to future changes of seasonal snow and climate warming scenarios in the Swiss Alps.

Constraints on Massive Axion-Like Particles from X-ray Observations of NGC1275

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Linhan; Conlon, Joseph P.

2018-06-01

If axion-like particles (ALPs) exist, photons can convert to ALPs on passage through regions containing magnetic fields. The magnetised intracluster medium of large galaxy clusters provides a region that is highly efficient at ALP-photon conversion. X-ray observations of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) located within galaxy clusters can be used to search for and constrain ALPs, as photon-ALP conversion would lead to energy-dependent quasi-sinusoidal modulations in the X-ray spectrum of an AGN. We use Chandra observations of the central AGN of the Perseus Cluster, NGC1275, to place bounds on massive ALPs up to ma ˜ 10-11eV, extending previous work that used this dataset to constrain massless ALPs.

New Zealand's Southern Alps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

The rugged Southern Alps extend some 650 kilometers along the western side of New Zealand's South Island. The mountains are often obscured by clouds, which is probably why the Maoris called New Zealand 'Aotearoa', the long white cloud. The higher peaks are snow-covered all year round. Westerly winds bring clouds that drop over 500 centimeters of rain annually on luxuriant rain forest along the west coast. The drier eastern seaboard is home to the majority of the island's population.

This pair of MISR images is from April 13, 2000 (Terra orbit 1712). The upper image is a natural color view from the instrument's vertical-viewing (nadir) camera. It is presented at a resolution of 550 meters per pixel. The lower image is a stereo anaglyph generated from the instrument's 46-degree and 26-degree forward-viewing cameras, and is presented at 275-meter per pixel resolution to show the portion of the image containing the Southern Alps in greater detail. Viewing the anaglyph in 3-D requires the use of red/blue glasses with the red filter over your left eye. To facilitate stereoscopic viewing, both images have been oriented with north at the left.

The tallest mountain in the Southern Alps is Mt. Cook, at an elevation of 3754 meters. Its snow-covered peak is visible to the left of center in each of these MISR images. From the high peaks, glaciers have gouged long, slender mountain lakes and coastal fiords. Immediately to the southeast of Mt. Cook (to the right in these images), the glacial pale-blue water of Lake Pukaki stands out. Further to the south in adjacent valleys you can easily see Lakes Hawea and Wanaka, between which (though not visible here) is the Haast Pass Road, the most southerly of the few links between the east and west coast road systems. Further to the south is the prominent 'S' shape of Lake Wakatipu, 83 kilometers long, on the northern shore of which is Queenstown, the principal resort town of the island. The remote and spectacular Fiordland National Park, which occupies the far southwest of the island, is largely under cloud.

Prominent along the east coast are the Canterbury Plains, approximately 180 kilometers long and extending inland from the coast to the foothills of the Southern Alps. This is the largest area of flatland in New Zealand, and a rich agricultural region renowned for its wheat, wool, and livestock. Here the distance between the east and west coasts is little more than 150 kilometers.

MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology.

Steady-State ALPS for Real-Valued Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hornby, Gregory S.

2009-01-01

The two objectives of this paper are to describe a steady-state version of the Age-Layered Population Structure (ALPS) Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) and to compare it against other GAs on real-valued problems. Motivation for this work comes from our previous success in demonstrating that a generational version of ALPS greatly improves search performance on a Genetic Programming problem. In making steady-state ALPS some modifications were made to the method for calculating age and the method for moving individuals up layers. To demonstrate that ALPS works well on real-valued problems we compare it against CMA-ES and Differential Evolution (DE) on five challenging, real-valued functions and on one real-world problem. While CMA-ES and DE outperform ALPS on the two unimodal test functions, ALPS is much better on the three multimodal test problems and on the real-world problem. Further examination shows that, unlike the other GAs, ALPS maintains a genotypically diverse population throughout the entire search process. These findings strongly suggest that the ALPS paradigm is better able to avoid premature convergence then the other GAs.

Child Physical Abuse Prevalence, Characteristics, Predictors, and Beliefs about Parent-Child Violence in South Asian, Middle Eastern, East Asian, and Latina Women in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maker, Azmaira H.; Shah, Priti V.; Agha, Zia

2005-01-01

The present study examined the prevalence, characteristics, beliefs, and demographic predictors of parent-child physical violence among South Asian, Middle Eastern, East Asian, and Latina women in the United States. Two hundred fifty-one college-educated women from a middle to high SES (South Asian/Middle Eastern, n = 93; East Asian, n = 72;…

Subduction / exhumation dynamics: Petrochronology in the Glacier-Rafray slice (Western Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burn, Marco; Lanari, Pierre; Engi, Martin

2014-05-01

Petrochronology is the combination of in situ age-dating, geothermobarometry and structural geology and aims to unravel Pressure-Temperature-deformation-time (P-T-ɛ-t) paths. To link P-T conditions to deformation stages is daily business for metamorphic petrologists, but recent micro-mapping techniques (XMapTools program) provide an additional tool to achieve this goal. Absolute age is often difficult to assess in metamorphic rocks, as it is challenging to link specific P-T conditions to most of the mineral chronometers. Allanite is a common accessory phase in high-P metamorphic rocks and is a potential target to determine Th(-U)/Pb ages. Allanite from a leucocratic gneiss of the Glacier-Rafray slice in the western Alps consists of several chemically different zones: one major zone can be linked to a first high-P phengite generation. To determine the age of this high-P growth zone we used La-ICP-MS in situ techniques, which allowed us to date an appropriate growth rim per grain. Even so particular care was required when evaluating the isotope signals laser ablation leads to the excavation of a volume, which potentially can be chemically and/or age-zoned. We have developed a new method to track changes in the plasma during the ablation. This method aims to identify discrete age zones. La-ICP-MS spectra have been modeled so as to reproduce the shape of the spectra measured. These results indicate that high-P allanite first grew in equilibrium with phengite at 84 ± 4 Ma, whereas a second growth event occurred at ~40 Ma. A final epidotic rim grew at greenschist facies conditions, but this stage could not be dated. These findings have implications for our interpretation of several units in the Western Alps: In the Sesia Zone (former Adriatic margin), the earliest high-P metamorphism occurred at 85 Ma (Regis et al., 2014), precisely as the first high-P peak we discovered in the Glacier-Rafray slice. Austroalpine klippen such as this are commonly seen as extensional allochthons; one would expect these to have entered the subduction zone together with the Piemonte oceanic units. Yet all high-P ages reported for the Piemonte oceanic units are around 40 Ma. We propose that the Glacier-Rafray slice experienced subduction together with Sesia units and may have been juxtaposed on the Piemont-Ligurian-Ocean units during Eocene exhumation. Strain associated with this juxtaposition may have triggered growth of the second allanite. Joint exhumation of the oceanic units and the Glacier-Rafray klippe followed at retrograde T.

76 FR 37152 - Notice of Lodging of Consent Decree Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-24

... with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. In this action, the United... agreement in this matter. On May 12, 2004, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of... remedy for the remainder of the Site, i.e., the Lower River, Middle River, and Inner Harbor portions of...

Enrichment of enzymatically mineralized gellan gum hydrogels with phlorotannin-rich Ecklonia cava extract Seanol(®) to endow antibacterial properties and promote mineralization.

PubMed

Douglas, Timothy E L; Dokupil, Agnieszka; Reczyńska, Katarzyna; Brackman, Gilles; Krok-Borkowicz, Malgorzata; Keppler, Julia K; Božič, Mojca; Van Der Voort, Pascal; Pietryga, Krzysztof; Samal, Sangram Keshari; Balcaen, Lieve; van den Bulcke, Jan; Van Acker, Joris; Vanhaecke, Frank; Schwarz, Karin; Coenye, Tom; Pamuła, Elżbieta

2016-08-10

Hydrogels offer several advantages as biomaterials for bone regeneration, including ease of incorporation of soluble substances such as mineralization-promoting enzymes and antibacterial agents. Mineralization with calcium phosphate (CaP) increases bioactivity, while antibacterial activity reduces the risk of infection. Here, gellan gum (GG) hydrogels were enriched with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and/or Seanol(®), a seaweed extract rich in phlorotannins (brown algae-derived polyphenols), to induce mineralization with CaP and increase antibacterial activity, respectively. The sample groups were unmineralized hydrogels, denoted as GG, GG/ALP, GG/Seanol and GG/Seanol/ALP, and hydrogels incubated in mineralization medium (0.1 M calcium glycerophosphate), denoted as GG/ALP_min, GG/Seanol_min and GG/Seanol/ALP_min. Seanol(®) enhanced mineralization with CaP and also increased compressive modulus. Seanol(®) and ALP interacted in a non-covalent manner. Release of Seanol(®) occurred in a burst phase and was impeded by ALP-mediated mineralization. Groups GG/Seanol and GG/ALP/Seanol exhibited antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. GG/Seanol/ALP_min, but not GG/Seanol_min, retained some antibacterial activity. Eluates taken from groups GG/ALP_min, GG/Seanol_min and GG/ALP/Seanol_min displayed comparable cytotoxicity towards MG-63 osteoblast-like cells. These results suggest that enrichment of hydrogel biomaterials with phlorotannin-rich extracts is a promising strategy to increase mineralizability and antibacterial activity.

125 years of glacier survey of the Austrian Alpine Club: results and future challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, Andrea

2016-04-01

One of the aims of the German and Austrian Alpine Club was the scientific investigation of the Alps. In 1891, several years after Swiss initiatives, Richter put out a call to contribute to regular glacier length surveys in the Eastern Alps. Since then more than 100 glaciers have been surveyed on a first biannual and later annual basis. The database includes measured data showing a general glacier retreat since 1891, with two periods of glacier advances in the 1920s and 1980s. Less well known are the sketches and reports which illustrate, for instance, changes in surface texture. The interpretation of length change data requires a larger sample of data for a reasonable interpretation on a regional scale. Nearly every time series in the long history of investigation includes gaps, e.g. in cases of problematic snout positions on steep rock walls or in lakes, or of debris-covered tongues. Current climate change adds the problem of glaciers splitting up into several smaller glaciers which behave differently. Several basic questions need to be addressed to arrive at a most accurate prolongated time series: How should measurements on disintegrating or debris-covered (and thus more or less stagnating) glaciers be documented, and how can we homogenize length change time series? Despite of uncertainties, length change data are amongst the longest available records, bridging the gap to moraine datings of the early holocene.

Review: Natural tracers in fractured hard-rock aquifers in the Austrian part of the Eastern Alps—previous approaches and future perspectives for hydrogeology in mountain regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hilberg, Sylke

2016-08-01

Extensive in-depth research is required for the implementation of natural tracer approaches to hydrogeological investigation to be feasible in mountainous regions. This review considers the application of hydrochemical and biotic parameters in mountain regions over the past few decades with particular reference to the Austrian Alps, as an example for alpine-type mountain belts. A brief introduction to Austria's hydrogeological arrangement is given to show the significance of fractured hard-rock aquifers for hydrogeological science as well as for water supply purposes. A literature search showed that research concerning fractured hard-rock aquifers in Austria is clearly underrepresented to date, especially when taking the abundance of this aquifer type and the significance of this topic into consideration. The application of abiotic natural tracers (hydrochemical and isotope parameters) is discussed generally and by means of examples from the Austrian Alps. The potential of biotic tracers (microbiota and meiofauna) is elucidated. It is shown that the meiofauna approach to investigating fractured aquifers has not yet been applied in the reviewed region, nor worldwide. Two examples of new approaches in mountainous fractured aquifers are introduced: (1) use of CO2 partial pressure and calcite saturation of spring water to reconstruct catchments and flow dynamics (abiotic approach), and, (2) consideration of hard-rock aquifers as habitats to reconstruct aquifer conditions (biotic approach).

Biogeographical and evolutionary importance of the European high mountain systems

PubMed Central

Schmitt, Thomas

2009-01-01

Europe is characterised by several high mountain systems dominating major parts of its area, and these structures have strongly influenced the evolution of taxa. For species now restricted to these high mountain systems, characteristic biogeographical patterns of differentiation exist. (i) Many local endemics are found in most of the European high mountain systems especially in the Alps and the more geographically peripheral regions of Europe. Populations isolated in these peripheral mountain ranges often have strongly differentiated endemic genetic lineages, which survived and evolved in the vicinity of these mountain areas over long time periods. (ii) Populations of taxa with wide distributions in the Alps often have two or more genetic lineages, which in some cases even have the status of cryptic species. In many cases, these lineages are the results of several centres of glacial survival in the perialpine areas. Similar patterns also apply to the other geographically extended European high mountain systems, especially the Pyrenees and Carpathians. (iii) Populations from adjoining high mountain systems often show similar genetic lineages, a phenomenon best explained by postglacial retreat to these mountains from one single differentiation centre between them. (iv) The populations of a number of species show gradients of genetic diversity from a genetically richer East to a poorer West. This might indicate better glacial survival conditions for this biogeographical group of species in the more eastern parts of Europe. PMID:19480666

New Pn and Sn tomographic images of the uppermost mantle beneath the Mediterranean region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gil, A.; Díaz, J.; Gallart, J.

2012-04-01

We present here new images of the seismic velocity and anisotropy variations in the uppermost mantle beneath the Mediterranean region, compiled from inversion of Pn and Sn phases. The method of Hearn (1996) has been applied to Pn and Sn lectures from the catalogs of the International Seismological Center and the Spanish Instituto Geografico Nacional. A total of 1,172,293 Pn arrivals coming from 16,527 earthquakes recorded at 1,657 stations with epicentral distances between 220 km and 1400 km have been retained (331,567 arrivals from 15,487events at 961 stations for Sn). Our results, grossly consistent with available 3D tomography images, show significant features well correlated with surface geology. The Pn velocities are high (>8.2 km/s) beneath major sedimentary basins (western Alboran Sea, Valencia Trough, Adriatic Sea, Aquitaine, Guadalquivir, Rharb, Aquitaine and Po basins), and low (<7.8 km/s) in orogenic areas (Betics, Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines, Dinarides, Helenides and Calabrian Arc), confirming the existence of marked variations in crustal thicknesses already documented in some active seismic experiments. The lowest velocity values are found under the Betics and the eastern and western Alps. Another low velocity anomaly is located below the south of Balearic Islands, probably related to a thermal anomaly associated to the westward displacement of the Alboran block along the Emile Baudot escarpment 16 Ma ago. The Pn anisotropic image shows consistent orientations sub-parallel to major orogenic structures, such as Betics, Apennines, Calabrian Arc and Alps. The station delays beneath Betic and Rif ranges are strongly negative, suggesting the presence of crustal thickening all along the Gibraltar Arc. However, only the Betics have a very strong low-velocity anomaly and a pronounced anisotropy pattern. The Sn tomographic image correlates well with the Pn image, even if some relevant differences can be observed beneath particular regions.

A molecular phylogeny of Alpine subterranean Trechini (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The Alpine region harbours one of the most diverse subterranean faunas in the world, with many species showing extreme morphological modifications. The ground beetles of tribe Trechini (Coleoptera, Carabidae) are among the best studied and widespread groups with abundance of troglobionts, but their origin and evolution is largely unknown. Results We sequenced 3.4 Kb of mitochondrial (cox1, rrnL, trnL, nad1) and nuclear (SSU, LSU) genes of 207 specimens of 173 mostly Alpine species, including examples of all subterranean genera but two plus a representation of epigean taxa. We applied Bayesian methods and maximum likelihood to reconstruct the topology and to estimate divergence times using a priori rates obtained for a related ground beetle genus. We found three main clades of late Eocene-early Oligocene origin: (1) the genus Doderotrechus and relatives; (2) the genus Trechus sensu lato, with most anisotopic subterranean genera, including the Pyrenean lineage and taxa from the Dinaric Alps; and (3) the genus Duvalius sensu lato, diversifying during the late Miocene and including all subterranean isotopic taxa. Most of the subterranean genera had an independent origin and were related to epigean taxa of the same geographical area, but there were three large monophyletic clades of exclusively subterranean species: the Pyrenean lineage, a lineage including subterranean taxa from the eastern Alps and the Dinarides, and the genus Anophthalmus from the northeastern Alps. Many lineages have developed similar phenotypes independently, showing extensive morphological convergence or parallelism. Conclusions The Alpine Trechini do not form a homogeneous fauna, in contrast with the Pyrenees, and show a complex scenario of multiple colonisations of the subterranean environment at different geological periods and through different processes. Examples go from populations of an epigean widespread species going underground with little morphological modifications to ancient, geographically widespread lineages of exclusively subterranean species likely to have diversified once fully adapted to the subterranean environment. PMID:24225133

The eastern migratory caribou: the role of genetic introgression in ecotype evolution.

PubMed

Klütsch, Cornelya F C; Manseau, Micheline; Trim, Vicki; Polfus, Jean; Wilson, Paul J

2016-02-01

Understanding the evolutionary history of contemporary animal groups is essential for conservation and management of endangered species like caribou (Rangifer tarandus). In central Canada, the ranges of two caribou subspecies (barren-ground/woodland caribou) and two woodland caribou ecotypes (boreal/eastern migratory) overlap. Our objectives were to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the eastern migratory ecotype and to assess the potential role of introgression in ecotype evolution. STRUCTURE analyses identified five higher order groups (i.e. three boreal caribou populations, eastern migratory ecotype and barren-ground). The evolutionary history of the eastern migratory ecotype was best explained by an early genetic introgression from barren-ground into a woodland caribou lineage during the Late Pleistocene and subsequent divergence of the eastern migratory ecotype during the Holocene. These results are consistent with the retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet and the colonization of the Hudson Bay coastal areas subsequent to the establishment of forest tundra vegetation approximately 7000 years ago. This historical reconstruction of the eastern migratory ecotype further supports its current classification as a conservation unit, specifically a Designatable Unit, under Canada's Species at Risk Act. These findings have implications for other sub-specific contact zones for caribou and other North American species in conservation unit delineation.

The eastern migratory caribou: the role of genetic introgression in ecotype evolution

PubMed Central

Klütsch, Cornelya F. C.; Manseau, Micheline; Trim, Vicki; Polfus, Jean; Wilson, Paul J.

2016-01-01

Understanding the evolutionary history of contemporary animal groups is essential for conservation and management of endangered species like caribou (Rangifer tarandus). In central Canada, the ranges of two caribou subspecies (barren-ground/woodland caribou) and two woodland caribou ecotypes (boreal/eastern migratory) overlap. Our objectives were to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the eastern migratory ecotype and to assess the potential role of introgression in ecotype evolution. STRUCTURE analyses identified five higher order groups (i.e. three boreal caribou populations, eastern migratory ecotype and barren-ground). The evolutionary history of the eastern migratory ecotype was best explained by an early genetic introgression from barren-ground into a woodland caribou lineage during the Late Pleistocene and subsequent divergence of the eastern migratory ecotype during the Holocene. These results are consistent with the retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet and the colonization of the Hudson Bay coastal areas subsequent to the establishment of forest tundra vegetation approximately 7000 years ago. This historical reconstruction of the eastern migratory ecotype further supports its current classification as a conservation unit, specifically a Designatable Unit, under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. These findings have implications for other sub-specific contact zones for caribou and other North American species in conservation unit delineation. PMID:26998320

ASSESSMENT STREAMS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES USING A PERIPHYTON INDEX OF BIOTIC INTEGRITY

EPA Science Inventory

Benthic algae were collected from 186 eastern United States streams and analyzed for diatom species richness and dominance, the relative abundance of acidobiontic, eutraphentic, and motile diatoms, standing crops of chlorophyll and biomass, and alkaline phosphatase activity. Thes...

Fragmentation of Forest Communities in the Eastern United States

EPA Science Inventory

Forest fragmentation threatens the sustainability of forest communities and therefore the beta diversity of forestland in the eastern United States. We combined forest inventory data with land cover data to compare 70 forest communities in terms of the amount and ownership of int...

Information about old growth for selected forest type groups in the eastern United States.

Treesearch

Lucy E. Tyrrell; Gregory J. Nowacki; David S. Buckley; Elizabeth A. Nauertz; Jeffrey N. Niese; Jeanette L. Rollinger; John C. Zasada; John C. Zasada

1998-01-01

Compiles information about old-growth attributes for nine forest type groups that occur in the eastern United States. A range of values for each old-growth attribute for each forest type is summarized regionally from published and unpublished sources.

Searching for axionlike particles in flavor-changing neutral current processes [A new flavor of searches for axion-like particles

DOE PAGES

Izaguirre, Eder; Lin, Tongyan; Shuve, Brian

2017-03-15

Here, we propose new searches for axion-like particles (ALPs) produced in flavor-changing neutral current (FCNC) processes. This proposal exploits the often-overlooked coupling of ALPs to W ± bosons, leading to FCNC production of ALPs even in the absence of a direct coupling to fermions. Our proposed searches for resonant ALP production in decays such as B→K(*)a, a→γγ, and K→πa, a→γγ could greatly improve upon the current sensitivity to ALP couplings to standard model particles. Finally, we also determine analogous constraints and discovery prospects for invisibly decaying ALPs.

Linking axionlike dark matter to neutrino masses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carvajal, C. D. R.; Sánchez-Vega, B. L.; Zapata, O.

2017-12-01

We present a framework linking axionlike particles (ALPs) to neutrino masses through the minimal inverse seesaw (ISS) mechanism in order to explain the dark matter (DM) puzzle. Specifically, we explore three minimal ISS cases where mass scales are generated through gravity-induced operators involving a scalar field hosting ALPs. In all of these cases, we find gravity-stable models that provide the observed DM relic density and, simultaneously, are consistent with the phenomenology of neutrinos and ALPs. Remarkably, in one of the ISS cases, the DM can be made of ALPs and sterile neutrinos. Furthermore, other considered ISS cases have ALPs with parameters that are within the reach of proposed ALP experiments.

Effects of tunicamycin, mannosamine, and other inhibitors of glycoprotein processing on skeletal alkaline phosphatase in human osteoblast-like cells.

PubMed

Farley, J R; Magnusson, P

2005-01-01

Skeletal alkaline phosphatase (sALP) is a glycoprotein- approximately 20% carbohydrate by weight, with five presumptive sites for N-linked glycosylation, as well as a carboxy-terminal site for attachment of the glycolipid structure (glycosylphosphatidylinositol, GPI), which anchors sALP to the outer surface of osteoblasts. The current studies were intended to characterize the effects of inhibiting glycosylation and glycosyl-processing on the synthesis, plasma membrane attachment, cellular-extracellular distribution, and reaction kinetics of sALP in human osteosarcoma (SaOS-2) cells. sALP synthesis, glycosylation, and GPI-anchor attachment were assessed as total protein synthesis/immunospecific sALP synthesis, sialic acid content (i.e., wheat germ agglutinin precipitation), and insolubility (i.e., temperature-dependent phase-separation), respectively. sALP reaction kinetics were characterized by analysis of dose-dependent initial velocity data, with a phosphoryl substrate. The results of these studies revealed that the inhibition of either N-linked glycosylation or oligosaccharide synthesis for GPI-anchor addition could affect the synthesis and the distribution of sALP, but not the kinetics of the phosphatase reaction. Tunicamycin-which blocks N-linked glycosylation by inhibiting core oligosaccharide synthesis-decreased cell layer protein and the total amount of sALP in the cells, while increasing the relative level of sALP in the cell-conditioned culture medium (CM, i.e., the amount of sALP released). These effects were attributed to dose- and time-dependent decreases in sALP synthesis and N-linked glycosylation, and an increase in apoptotic cell death (P <0.001 for each). In contrast to the effects of tunicamycin on N-linked glycosylation, the effects of mannosamine, which inhibits GPI-anchor glycosylation/formation, included (1) an increase in cell layer protein; (2) decreases in sALP specific activity, in the cells and in the CM; and (3) increases in the percentages of both anchorless and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-soluble sALP in the medium, but not in the cells (P <0.005 for each). These effects of mannosamine were, presumably, a consequence of inhibiting the insertion/attachment of sALP to the outside of the plasma membrane surface. Neither mannosammine nor tunicamycin had any effect on the reaction kinetics of sALP or on the apparent affinity (the value of KM) for the phosphoryl substrate.

Late Holocene Winter Temperatures in the Eastern Mediterranean and Their Relation to Cultural Changes: The Kocain Cave Record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mert Gokturk, Ozan; Fleitmann, Dominik; Badertscher, Seraina; Cheng, Hai; Edwards, R. Lawrence; Tuysuz, Okan

2015-04-01

Based on the δ13C profile of a stalagmite from the Kocain Cave in southern Turkey, we present a new proxy record of winter temperatures for the Eastern Mediterranean covering the last ~5500 years. In this region precisely-dated and highly-resolved paleoclimate records for the cold season are almost non-existent. The comparison of the most recent part of the Kocain record with meteorological observations reveals that stalagmite δ13C values correlate on decadal scale with the amount of snowfall above the cave, which correlates well with average winter temperatures. More negative δ13C values indicate higher drip rates in the cave due to more efficient infiltration during snowmelt above Kocain Cave, during colder winters. Cold periods in the rest of the record coincide with widespread glacier advances, especially with the ones in the Alps during the Bronze Age - Iron Age transition (from ~1000 BC on) and the late Little Ice Age (~1600 to 1850 AD). This further supports the interpretation of δ13C as a temperature proxy. Although winters during the Medieval Climate Anomaly were not continuously warm in the Eastern Mediterranean, winter warmth in the modern era was matched or exceeded several times in the last ~5700 years, especially during the time of Minoan civilization in Crete (~2700 to 1200 BC). Moreover, we provide evidence for the important role of winter cold and drought in the events leading to the unrest in the 16th century Anatolia during the Ottoman rule. Kocain Cave record brings insights into several climatically-induced historical changes in the Eastern Mediterranean, and has the potential to be a key record in a region with a long and vibrant history.

Indirect immobilized Jagged1 suppresses cell cycle progression and induces odonto/osteogenic differentiation in human dental pulp cells.

PubMed

Manokawinchoke, Jeeranan; Nattasit, Praphawi; Thongngam, Tanutchaporn; Pavasant, Prasit; Tompkins, Kevin A; Egusa, Hiroshi; Osathanon, Thanaphum

2017-08-31

Notch signaling regulates diverse biological processes in dental pulp tissue. The present study investigated the response of human dental pulp cells (hDPs) to the indirect immobilized Notch ligand Jagged1 in vitro. The indirect immobilized Jagged1 effectively activated Notch signaling in hDPs as confirmed by the upregulation of HES1 and HEY1 expression. Differential gene expression profiling using an RNA sequencing technique revealed that the indirect immobilized Jagged1 upregulated genes were mainly involved in extracellular matrix organization, disease, and signal transduction. Downregulated genes predominantly participated in the cell cycle, DNA replication, and DNA repair. Indirect immobilized Jagged1 significantly reduced cell proliferation, colony forming unit ability, and the number of cells in S phase. Jagged1 treated hDPs exhibited significantly higher ALP enzymatic activity, osteogenic marker gene expression, and mineralization compared with control. Pretreatment with a γ-secretase inhibitor attenuated the Jagged1-induced ALP activity and mineral deposition. NOTCH2 shRNA reduced the Jagged1-induced osteogenic marker gene expression, ALP enzymatic activity, and mineral deposition. In conclusion, indirect immobilized Jagged1 suppresses cell cycle progression and induces the odonto/osteogenic differentiation of hDPs via the canonical Notch signaling pathway.

Temporal patterns of glacial lake evolution in high-mountain environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mergili, Martin; Emmer, Adam; Viani, Cristina; Huggel, Christian

2017-04-01

Lakes forming at the front of retreating glaciers are characteristic features of high-mountain areas in a warming climate. Typically, lakes shift from the proglacial phase (lake is in direct contact with glacier) to a glacier-detached (no direct contact) and finally to a non-glacial phase (lake catchment is completely deglaciated) of lake evolution. Apart from changing glacier-lake interactions, each stage is characterized by particular features of lake growth, and by the lake's susceptibility to sudden drainage (lake outburst flood). While this concept appears to be valid globally, some mountain areas are rich in dynamically evolving proglacial lakes, while in others most lakes have already shifted to the glacier-detached or even non-glacial phase. In the present contribution we (i) explore and quantify the history of glacial lake formation and evolution over the past up to 70 years; (ii) assess the current situation of selected contrasting mountain areas (eastern and western European Alps, southern and northern Pamir, Cordillera Blanca); and (iii) link the patterns of lake evolution to the prevailing topographic and glaciological characteristics in order to improve the understanding of high-mountain geoenvironmental change. In the eastern Alps we identify only very few lakes in the proglacial stage. While many lakes appeared and dynamically evolved until the 1980s between 2550 m and 2800 m asl, most of them have lost glacier contact until the 2000s, whereas very few new proglacial lakes appeared at the same time. Even though a similar trend is observed in the higher western Alps, a more dynamic glacial lake evolution is observed there. The arid southern Pamir is characterized by a high number of proglacial lakes, mainly around 4500 m asl. There is strong evidence that glacial lake evolution is, after a highly dynamic phase between the 1970s and approx. 2000, decelerating. Few proglacial lakes exist in the higher and more humid, heavily glacierized northern Pamir, even though there is some evidence for a the recent trend of lake formation and growth. The tropical Cordillera Blanca displays a high, but gradually decreasing share of proglacial lakes. A significant shift of lake elevation was observed: tmost lakes were situated between 4250 m and 4600 m asl in 1950s, while almost half of the lakes are currently situated above 4600 m asl, confirming post-LIA climate change forcing. We attempt to explain the observed trends by investigating the relation of the timing of lake evolution with an interplay of the broad-scale elevational patterns of glaciers and topography, and the local conditions. The findings will assist in anticipating possible future patterns of lake evolution at different scales, relevant for lake outburst risks and water management issues.

Managing national forests of the eastern United States for non-timber forest products

Treesearch

James L. Chamberlain; Robert J. Bush; A.L. Hammett; Philip A. Araman

2000-01-01

Over the last decade, there has been a growing interest in the economic and ecological potential of non-timber forest products. In the United States, much of this increased interest stems from drastic changes in forest practices and policies in the Pacific Northwest region, a region that produces many non-timber forest products. The forests of the eastern United States...

NDVI anomalies associated with the European drought and heat wave of 2003

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bevan, Suzanne; Los, Sietse; North, Peter

2013-04-01

The European drought and heat wave of 2003 is commonly used as an example of extreme summer climate conditions that are likely to become more common towards the end of the 21st century, under predicted climate change scenarios. The extreme conditions are known to have had an impact on biomass primary productivity as reflected in remotely sensed vegetation indices and fAPAR, flux-tower measurements, and the results from a variety of modelling approaches. Early remote sensing analyses were based on relatively short time series of data, 4 or 5 years only. We are now able to make use of 12 years of MODIS observations to highlight the statistical significance of the widespread and persistent anomalies in vegetation greenness in 2003 compared with other summers so far this century. Anomalies in excess of 2 standard deviations initially occur at the start of June in central and eastern France. By the end of July they are common also over Germany, by mid August have spread to the French border with Spain, and by the end of August are common over the north-western corner of France, England and eastern Scotland. Using the One-Degree Daily resolution Global Precipitation Climatology Project precipitation data and European Re-Analysis Interim 2 m air temperatures we are able to show where and whether either precipitation or temperature has the greatest impact on summer vegetation greenness. With the exception of mountainous regions such as the Alps and northern and western parts of the United Kingdom, summer NDVI anomalies are highly correlated with precipitation anomalies of the preceding month. The picture for temperature is more geographically variable with summer NDVI anomalies in southern France, Italy and central England and north-eastern Scotland being negatively correlated with temperature, and northern and western coasts of France and Germany being positively correlated with temperature. In addition, we analyse the anomalies in conjunction with vegetation height from ICESat GLAS measurements, and Global Land Cover Facility classifications. Attempts have been made to fit linear trends to global biomass production since 2000, following reports of an increasing trend during the 1990s. It is clear that events as significant as the 2003 European drought will complicate attempts to identify long-term changes in biomass and carbon uptake.

The first large geological map of Central and Eastern Europe (1815)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigelis, Algimantas; Wójcik, Zbigniew; Narębski, Wojciech; Gelumbauskaitė, Leonora Živilė; Kozák, Jan; Czarniecki, Stanisław

2008-01-01

The first large geological map of Central and Eastern Europe was compiled by Stanisław Staszic in the early 19th century. The map is based on the geological survey that Staszic performed in different parts of Poland and adjacent areas. In 1814, Staszic presented his ideas on the geology and mineral sources of Poland and Lithuania. In 1815, he completed the book-length descriptive analysis O ziemorodztwie Karpatów i innych gór i równin Polski przez Stanisława Staszica, which was published in Warsaw and complemented by a large geological map of Central and Eastern Europe. His later studies were compiled in a historico-philosophical treatise titled Ród ludzki (1819-1820). The complete edition of Staszic's works, Dzieła, which also included these publications, appeared over 1816-1820. The geological field survey that he performed over several years, and his study of social-economic problems enabled Staszic to draw in great detail a geological map of the Carpathians, the Central Polish Highlands, Volhynia (modern Ukraine) and the Eastern Alps, as well as the areas of the Polish-Lithuanian Lowlands, the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, Polesye (modern Belarus), Moldova, Transylvania, and Hungary. Staszic was interested in the exploration of mineral deposits, particularly in Poland, which had rock salt, copper and iron ores, and coal. In his monograph and map, he adopted a stratigraphic subdivision based on types of rock contents and organic fossils, which was a slightly modified version of Werner's classification system. The lithological legend sets five classes and 135 different types of rock, and 15 types of ore deposits, using the French names for these. In general, Staszic was an advocate of Werner's paradigm; however, he did not follow exactly the ideas of the German geologist. Staszic's fundamental work recapitulates his views on geological history of Central and Eastern Europe, and brings to an end the Enlightment period in the geology of that part of Europe.

49 CFR 71.4 - Eastern zone.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Eastern zone. 71.4 Section 71.4 Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation STANDARD TIME ZONE BOUNDARIES § 71.4 Eastern zone. The second zone, the eastern standard time zone, includes that part of the United States that is west of 67°30″ W...

Large Wood recruitment and transport along a piedmont gravel bed river

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Picco, Lorenzo; Tonon, Alessia; Ravazzolo, Diego; Aristide Lenzi, Mario

2015-04-01

In recent years an increasing attention has been devoted on Large Wood (LW), focusing to its role and impact along riverine systems. However there is still a lack of knowledge about many aspects of its recruitment and displacement from the vegetated patches (e.g. floodplain and island) of a riverine environment. This research aims to analyse and consider the differences in LW recruitment during a flood event along a reach of a piedmont gravel bed river. The study has been carried out along a 3 km - long study reach located into the middle course of the gravel bed Piave River (North-Eastern Italian Alps). A buffer zone of 20 m - wide was considered along the floodplains and islands. Into this stripe every standing tree, with diameter ≥ 0.10 m, was measured manually (Diameter Breast Height-DBH; Height). Moreover, for each tree the GPS position was recorded and a numbered tag was installed to simplify the post event recovery. In November 2014 an over bankfull flood (Q=1039 m3 s-1; R.I=3.5 years) occurred. Preliminary results shows that 668 trees were recruited during the flood event thanks to both bank erosion processes along the floodplain banks and along the island shores. Analysing the origin, it is possible to define as 401 (60.03 %) trees were recruited from the floodplain, 244 (36.53%) from fluvial islands and, finally, 23 (3.44%) trees were not completely moved into the active channel area and recruited by the flood, but were just uprooted. Thanks to the accurate dendrometric measurements, it has been possible to define the dimensions for both category of LW, recruited from floodplain and island respectively. Looking to the minimum, maximum and mean height detected were defined values of 2.00, 20.00 and 8.98 m, and 2.20, 15.00 and 6.64 m, for floodplain and island, respectively. The DBH show minimum, maximum and mean values of about 0.10, 0.54 and 0.14 m, and 0.10, 0.44 and 0.14 m for floodplain and island, respectively. These dendrometric measurements permitted us to define the input volume of LW from floodplain and island, 75.59 m3 (0.19 m3/tree) and 39.66 m3 (0.16 m3/tree), respectively. It is worth to focus on the greater input of LW from floodplain, due to the recruitment of an higher number of trees and the bigger dimension of these plants. Post flood field survey permitted also to detect the displacement length of recruited trees along the study area, obtaining values of about 2.50 km, that is consistent with similar results obtained in the same study reach. Further analysis will permit to investigate more in detail the LW origin, its displacement and to link it with flood condition and the morphological settings of the study reach. This research is funded within, the University of Padova research Project CPDA149091- "WoodAlp: linking large Wood and morphological dynamics of gravel bed rivers of Eastern Italian Alps"- 2014-16 and the Project "SedAlp: sediment management in Alpine basins, integrating sediment continuum, risk mitigation and hydropower", 83-4-3-AT, in the framework of the European Territorial Cooperation Program "Alpine Space" 2007-13.

Petrographic and geochemical analyisis for determination of provenance of the Slovenj Gradec Miocene Basin fill (Western Central Paratethys)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivančič, Kristina; Trajanova, Mirka; Skaberne, Dragomir; Šmuc, Andrej

2017-04-01

The Slovenj Gradec Basin (SGB) is located in northern Slovenia between eastern margin of the Northern Karavanke and the western Pohorje Mts. Structurally, it belongs to Eastern Alps. It is filled with Miocene clastic sediments. Modal composition of sandstones was determined on thin sections by point-counter and presented with the QFL and QmFLt diagrams. Their geochemical composition was determined by classical method and by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. Based on petrography, sedimentary fill of the SGB consists mostly of lithic grains and quartz, derived from metamorphic and carbonate rocks. Locally, fragments of granitoids occur. Binder consists of carbonate, subordinately quartz cement, and carbonate matrix. Recycled orogen (lithic and transitional recycled) provenance of the grains was determined. Geochemical composition shows that: - Sandstones from the SGB belong to the fields of shale, wacke, litharenite, arkose and subarkose (Pettijohn, 1972). - In the ternary diagram of weathering trends (cf. Nesbitt & Young 1984), the samples group near the CaO+Na2OAl2O3 conjunctive. Calculated minimum CIA (Fedo et al., 1995) is 40.06, indicating that the source rocks were not subjected to considerable weathering. - According to discriminant function (cf. Roser & Korsch, 1988) all samples from SGB originate from quartzose sedimentary rocks. - For determination of tectonic setting of source rocks (Verma & Armstrong-Altrin, 2013) the studied samples plot in the field of collision zone. - In the multidimensional discriminant function diagram for the discrimination of active and passive margin after Verma and Armstrong (2016), the samples plot into the field of passive margin. The data indicate that source rocks of the SGB sedimentary fill were derived from Eastern Alps and Southern Alps. It is suggested that SGB was detached from the Styrian and Mura-Zala Basins in the course of the Pohorje Mts. oblique transpressive uplift during the late Miocene to Pliocene (Trajanova, 2013). Consequently, the area of the wider SGB was still an integral part of the Central Paratethys until late Miocene. References Fedo, C.M., Nesbitt, H.W. & Young, G.M., 1995. Unravelling the effects of potassium metasomatism in sedimentary rocks and paleosols, with implications for paleoweathering conditions and provenance. Geology, 23(10), pp.921-924. Nesbitt, H. W., & Young, G. M., 1984. Prediction of some weathering trends of plutonic and volcanic rocks based on thermodynamic and kinetic considerations. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 48 (7), 1523-1534. Pettijohn, F.J., Potter, P.E., Siever, R., 1972. Sand and Sandstone, second ed., Springer, New York, heidelberg, Berlin 618, pp. Roser, B.P. & Korsch, R.J., 1988. Provenance signatures of sandstone-mudstonen suites determined using discriminant function of major-element data. Chemical Geology, 67(1-2), pp.119-139. Trajanova, M. 2013: Starost pohorskega magmatizma; nov pogled na nastanek pohorskega tektonskega bloka (Age of the Pohorje Mountains magmatism; new view on the origin of the Pohorje tectonic block). PhD thesis. 183 pp., Ljubljana. Verma, S.P. & Armstrong-Altrin, J.S., 2013. New multi-dimensional diagrams for tectonic discrimination of siliciclastic sediments and their application to Precambrian basins. Chemical Geology, 355, pp.117-133. Verma, S. P., & Armstrong-Altrin, J. S. (2016). Geochemical discrimination of siliciclastic sediments from active and passive margin settings. Sedimentary Geology, 332, 1-12.

Underground electromagnetic activity in two regions with contrasting seismicity: a case study from the Eastern Alps and Bohemian Massif

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baroň, Ivo; Koktavý, Pavel; Stemberk, Josef; Macků, Robert; Trčka, Tomáš; Škarvada, Pavel; Lenhardt, Wolfgang; Meurers, Bruno; Rowberry, Mattew; Marti, Xavi; Plan, Lukas; Grasemann, Berhnard; Mitrovic, Ivanka

2016-04-01

Electromagnetic emissions (EME) occur during the fracturing of solid materials under laboratory conditions and may represent potential earthquake precursors. We recorded EME from May 2015 to October 2015 in two caves situated in contrasting seismotectonic settings. Zbrašov Aragonite Caves are located close to the seismically quiescent contact between the Bohemian Massif and the Outer Western Carpathians while Obir Caves are located near the seismically active Periadriatic Fault on the southern margin of the Eastern Alps. The specific monitoring points are located at depths of tens of metres below the ground surface as such places are assumed to represent favourably shielded environments. The EME signals were continuously monitored by two custom-made Emission Data Loggers (EDLOG), comprising both analogue and digital parts. The crucial analogue component within the EDLOG is a wideband shielded magnetic loop antenna. To be able to observe EME related rock deformation and microfracturing we recorded signals between 10 and 200 kHz with a sampling frequency of 500 kHz. An ultralow noise preamplifier placed close to the antenna increases the signal-to-noise ratio. Further signal processing consisted of filtering, such as antialiasing and interference rejection, and additional amplification to fit the signal to the full scale range of the AD convertor. The digital part of the EDLOG comprises a range of PC components such as high-capacity replaceable data storage and unbuffered RAM, high-speed multichannel DAQ cards, and custom made control software in the programming environment LabVIEW. During our EME monitoring all the raw data were stored. This has allowed us to perform advanced data processing and detailed analysis. During the study period some artificial EME signals were observed in Zbrašov Aragonite Caves. This artificial noise may have overprinted any natural signals and is most likely to relate to the pumping of CO2. In contrast, markedly different signals were observed in Obir Caves. From May to the end of July the data were characterised by a series of irregular high energy anomalies, lasting from hours to days, along with a series of regular nightly anomalies which are thought to relate to the VLF transmitters. From the beginning of August to October the data were characterised (except for the artificial nightly signals) by relative quiescence of other signals with only a few distinct anomalies. Data relating to rock deformation along active tectonic faults is also recorded at Zbrašov Aragonite Caves and Obir Caves using a type of automated moiré extensometer called a TM-71. These data have been interrogated alongside other environmental factors such as seismicity, precipitation, earth tides, and extraterrestrial magnetic radiation (all data provided by the Central Institution for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG)). It has been possible to compare all the phenomena with our data of natural electromagnetic activity. This pilot study was supported by the Institute of Physics at the Brno University of Technology, the Institute of Rock Structure & Mechanics CAS, and the Austrian Science Foundation (Project P25884-N29 "Active tectonics and recent dynamics of microdisplacements along major fault systems of the Eastern Alps registered in caves (SPELEOTECT)".

The lichens of the Alps – an annotated checklist

PubMed Central

Nimis, Pier Luigi; Hafellner, Josef; Roux, Claude; Clerc, Philippe; Helmut Mayrhofer; Martellos, Stefano; Bilovitz, Peter O.

2018-01-01

Abstract This is the first attempt to provide an overview of the lichen diversity of the Alps, one of the biogegraphically most important and emblematic mountain systems worldwide. The checklist includes all lichenised species, plus a set of non- or doubtfully lichenised taxa frequently treated by lichenologists, excluding non-lichenised lichenicolous fungi. Largely based on recent national or regional checklists, it provides a list of all infrageneric taxa (with synonyms) hitherto reported from the Alps, with data on their distribution in eight countries (Austria, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland) and in 42 Operational Geographic Units, mostly corresponding to administrative subdivisions within the countries. Data on the main substrates and on the altitudinal distribution are also provided. A short note points to the main ecological requirements of each taxon and/or to open taxonomic problems. Particularly poorly known taxa are flagged and often provided with a short description, to attract the attention of specialists. The total number of infrageneric taxa is 3,163, including 117 non- or doubtfully lichenised taxa. The richness of the lichen biota fairly well corresponds with the percent of the Alpine area occupied by each country: Austria (2,337 taxa), Italy (2,169), France (2,028), Switzerland (1,835), Germany (1,168), Slovenia (890) and Lichtenstein (152), no lichen having ever been reported from Monaco. The number of poorly known taxa is quite high (604, 19.1% of the total), which indicates that, in spite of the Alps being one of the lichenologically most studied mountain systems worldwide, much work is still needed to reach a satisfactory picture of their real lichen diversity. Thirteen new combinations are proposed in the genera Agonimia, Aspicilia, Bagliettoa, Bellemerea, Carbonea, Lepra, Miriquidica, Polysporina, Protothelenella, Pseudosagedia and Thelidium. PMID:29706791

Spruce Budworm in the Eastern United States

Treesearch

Daniel R. Kuceral; Peter W. Orr

The spruce budworm Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens) is one of the most destructive native insects in the northern spruce and fir forests of the Eastern United States and Canada. Periodic outbreaks of the spruce budworm are a part of the natural cycle of events associated with the maturing of balsam fir.

Forest composition change in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Songlin Fei; Peilin. Yang

2011-01-01

Forest ecosystems in the eastern United States are believed to be experiencing a species composition change, but most evidence is anecdotal or localized. We used U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis data to quantify the annual changes of three common genera: Acer (maple), carya (hickory), and Quercus...

CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIVIDUAL PARTICLES AT A RURAL SITE IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES

EPA Science Inventory

To determine the nature of aerosol particles in a rural area of the eastern United States, aerosol samples were collected at Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, on various substrates and analyzed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). SEM ana...

ESTIMATING GROUND LEVEL PM 2.5 IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES USING SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING

EPA Science Inventory

An empirical model based on the regression between daily average final particle (PM2.5) concentrations and aerosol optical thickness (AOT) measurements from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) was developed and tested using data from the eastern United States during ...

Eclogite nappe-stack in the Grivola-Urtier Ophiolites (Southern Aosta Valley, Western Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tartarotti, Paola

2013-04-01

In the Western Alpine chain, ophiolites represent a section of the Mesozoic Tethys oceanic lithosphere, involved in subduction during the convergence between the paleo-Africa and paelo-Europe continents during the Cretaceous - Eocene. The Western Alpine ophiolites consist of several tectonic units, the most famous being the Zermatt-Saas and Combin nappes, and other major ophiolite bodies as the Voltri, Monviso, and Rocciavrè that show different rock assemblages and contrasting metamorphic imprints. The Grivola-Urtier (GU) unit is exposed in the southern Aosta Valley, covering an area of about 100 km2; it is tectonically sandwiched between the continentally-derived Pennidic Gran Paradiso Nappe below, and the Austroalpine Mount Emilius klippe above. This unit has been so far considered as part of the Zermatt-Saas nappe extending from the Saas-Fee area (Switzerland) to the Aosta Valley (Italy). The GU unit consists of serpentinized peridotites that include pods and boudinaged layers of eclogitic Fe-metagabbro and trondhjemite, rodingites and chloriteschists transposed in the main foliation together with calcschists and micaschists. All rocks preserve particularly fresh eclogitic mineral assemblages. The contact between the serpentinites and calcshists is marked by a tectonic mélange consisting of mylonitic marble and calcschist with stretched and boudinaged serpentinite blocks. Continentally-derived allochthonous blocks ranging in size from100 meters to meters are also included within the ophiolites. New field, petrographic and geochemical data reveal the complex nature of the fossil Tethyan oceanic lithosphere exposed in the southern Aosta Valley, as well as the extent and size of the continental-oceanic tectonic mélange. The geological setting of the GU unit is here inferred as a key tool for understanding the complex architecture of the ophiolites in the Western Alps.

Inhibitors of alprazolam metabolism in vitro: effect of serotonin-reuptake-inhibitor antidepressants, ketoconazole and quinidine.

PubMed Central

von Moltke, L L; Greenblatt, D J; Cotreau-Bibbo, M M; Harmatz, J S; Shader, R I

1994-01-01

1. The biotransformation of the triazolobenzodiazepine alprazolam (ALP) to its hydroxylated metabolites (4-OH-ALP and alpha-OH-ALP) was evaluated in human, monkey, rat, and mouse liver microsomes. 2. In all species 4-OH-ALP was the principal metabolite, accounting for 84% of clearance in human microsomes compared with 16% for alpha-OH-ALP. 3. Among the serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors fluoxetine (FLU) and sertraline (SERT), and their respective demethylated metabolites norfluoxetine (NOR) and desmethylsertraline (DES), NOR was the most potent inhibitor (mean Ki for 4-OH-ALP formation in humans: 11 microM), FLU the weakest (Ki = 83 microM), with SERT and DES falling in between (Ki = 24 and 20 microM). 4. The in vitro data predict 29% inhibition of ALP clearance at mean FLU and NOR plasma concentrations of 77 ng ml-1 and 72 ng ml-1, respectively, after correction for liver:water partition ratios in the range of 12-14. The observed mean degree of inhibition in a previous in vivo study was 21%. 5. Ketoconazole was a potent inhibitor of ALP metabolism in vitro (Ki = 0.046 microM), suggesting that ALP hydroxylation is mediated by the cytochrome P450-3A sub-family. Quinidine was a weak inhibitor (Ki = 626 microM). PMID:7946933

Fast and sensitive near-infrared fluorescent probes for ALP detection and 3d printed calcium phosphate scaffold imaging in vivo.

PubMed

Park, Chul Soon; Ha, Tai Hwan; Kim, Moonil; Raja, Naren; Yun, Hui-Suk; Sung, Mi Jeong; Kwon, Oh Seok; Yoon, Hyeonseok; Lee, Chang-Soo

2018-05-15

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is a critical biological marker for osteoblast activity during early osteoblast differentiation, but few biologically compatible methods are available for its detection. Here, we describe the discovery of highly sensitive and rapidly responsive novel near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes (NIR-Phos-1, NIR-Phos-2) for the fluorescent detection of ALP. ALP cleaves the phosphate group from the NIR skeleton and substantially alters its photophysical properties, therefore generating a large "turn-on" fluorescent signal resulted from the catalytic hydrolysis on fluorogenic moiety. Our assay quantified ALP activity from 0 to 1.0UmL -1 with a 10 -5 -10 -3 UmL -1 limit of detection (LOD), showing a response rate completed within 1.5min. A potentially powerful approach to probe ALP activity in biological systems demonstrated real-time monitoring using both concentration- and time-dependent variations of endogenous ALP in live cells and animals. Based on high binding affinity to bone tissue of phosphate moiety, bone-like scaffold-based ALP detection in vivo was accessed using NIR probe-labeled three-dimensional (3D) calcium deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA) scaffolds. They were subcutaneously implanted into mice and monitored ALP signal changes using a confocal imaging system. Our results suggest the possibility of early-stage ALP detection during neo-bone formation inside a bone defect, by in vivo fluorescent evaluation using 3D CDHA scaffolds. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Glycation Contributes to Interaction Between Human Bone Alkaline Phosphatase and Collagen Type I.

PubMed

Halling Linder, Cecilia; Enander, Karin; Magnusson, Per

2016-03-01

Bone is a biological composite material comprised primarily of collagen type I and mineral crystals of calcium and phosphate in the form of hydroxyapatite (HA), which together provide its mechanical properties. Bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP), produced by osteoblasts, plays a pivotal role in the mineralization process. Affinity contacts between collagen, mainly type II, and the crown domain of various ALP isozymes were reported in a few in vitro studies in the 1980s and 1990s, but have not attracted much attention since, although such interactions may have important implications for the bone mineralization process. The objective of this study was to investigate the binding properties of human collagen type I to human bone ALP, including the two bone ALP isoforms B1 and B2. ALP from human liver, human placenta and E. coli were also studied. A surface plasmon resonance-based analysis, supported by electrophoresis and blotting, showed that bone ALP binds stronger to collagen type I in comparison with ALPs expressed in non-mineralizing tissues. Further, the B2 isoform binds significantly stronger to collagen type I in comparison with the B1 isoform. Human bone and liver ALP (with identical amino acid composition) displayed pronounced differences in binding, revealing that post-translational glycosylation properties govern these interactions to a large extent. In conclusion, this study presents the first evidence that glycosylation differences in human ALPs are of crucial importance for protein-protein interactions with collagen type I, although the presence of the ALP crown domain may also be necessary. Different binding affinities among the bone ALP isoforms may influence the mineral-collagen interface, mineralization kinetics, and degree of bone matrix mineralization, which are important factors determining the material properties of bone.

Membrane Curvature Sensing by Amphipathic Helices Is Modulated by the Surrounding Protein Backbone.

PubMed

Doucet, Christine M; Esmery, Nina; de Saint-Jean, Maud; Antonny, Bruno

2015-01-01

Membrane curvature is involved in numerous biological pathways like vesicle trafficking, endocytosis or nuclear pore complex assembly. In addition to its topological role, membrane curvature is sensed by specific proteins, enabling the coordination of biological processes in space and time. Amongst membrane curvature sensors are the ALPS (Amphipathic Lipid Packing Sensors). ALPS motifs are short peptides with peculiar amphipathic properties. They are found in proteins targeted to distinct curved membranes, mostly in the early secretory pathway. For instance, the ALPS motif of the golgin GMAP210 binds trafficking vesicles, while the ALPS motif of Nup133 targets nuclear pores. It is not clear if, besides curvature sensitivity, ALPS motifs also provide target specificity, or if other domains in the surrounding protein backbone are involved. To elucidate this aspect, we studied the subcellular localization of ALPS motifs outside their natural protein context. The ALPS motifs of GMAP210 or Nup133 were grafted on artificial fluorescent probes. Importantly, ALPS motifs are held in different positions and these contrasting architectures were mimicked by the fluorescent probes. The resulting chimeras recapitulated the original proteins localization, indicating that ALPS motifs are sufficient to specifically localize proteins. Modulating the electrostatic or hydrophobic content of Nup133 ALPS motif modified its avidity for cellular membranes but did not change its organelle targeting properties. In contrast, the structure of the backbone surrounding the helix strongly influenced targeting. In particular, introducing an artificial coiled-coil between ALPS and the fluorescent protein increased membrane curvature sensitivity. This coiled-coil domain also provided membrane curvature sensitivity to the amphipathic helix of Sar1. The degree of curvature sensitivity within the coiled-coil context remains correlated to the natural curvature sensitivity of the helices. This suggests that the chemistry of ALPS motifs is a key parameter for membrane curvature sensitivity, which can be further modulated by the surrounding protein backbone.

ALPS - A LINEAR PROGRAM SOLVER

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Viterna, L. A.

1994-01-01

Linear programming is a widely-used engineering and management tool. Scheduling, resource allocation, and production planning are all well-known applications of linear programs (LP's). Most LP's are too large to be solved by hand, so over the decades many computer codes for solving LP's have been developed. ALPS, A Linear Program Solver, is a full-featured LP analysis program. ALPS can solve plain linear programs as well as more complicated mixed integer and pure integer programs. ALPS also contains an efficient solution technique for pure binary (0-1 integer) programs. One of the many weaknesses of LP solvers is the lack of interaction with the user. ALPS is a menu-driven program with no special commands or keywords to learn. In addition, ALPS contains a full-screen editor to enter and maintain the LP formulation. These formulations can be written to and read from plain ASCII files for portability. For those less experienced in LP formulation, ALPS contains a problem "parser" which checks the formulation for errors. ALPS creates fully formatted, readable reports that can be sent to a printer or output file. ALPS is written entirely in IBM's APL2/PC product, Version 1.01. The APL2 workspace containing all the ALPS code can be run on any APL2/PC system (AT or 386). On a 32-bit system, this configuration can take advantage of all extended memory. The user can also examine and modify the ALPS code. The APL2 workspace has also been "packed" to be run on any DOS system (without APL2) as a stand-alone "EXE" file, but has limited memory capacity on a 640K system. A numeric coprocessor (80X87) is optional but recommended. The standard distribution medium for ALPS is a 5.25 inch 360K MS-DOS format diskette. IBM, IBM PC and IBM APL2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Association between serum alkaline phosphatase and coronary artery calcification in a sample of primary cardiovascular prevention patients.

PubMed

Panh, Loïc; Ruidavets, Jean Bernard; Rousseau, Hervé; Petermann, Antoine; Bongard, Vanina; Bérard, Emilie; Taraszkiewicz, Dorota; Lairez, Olivier; Galinier, Michel; Carrié, Didier; Ferrières, Jean

2017-05-01

A high level of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is associated with an increased risk of mortality and myocardial infarction. ALP hydrolyses inorganic pyrophosphate, which is a strong inhibitor of calcium phosphate deposition. The aim of this study was to determine whether ALP is associated with the coronary artery calcium score (CACS). We examined the association of CACS, assessed by computed tomography scanning, and ALP, in 500 patients consecutively recruited, free of cardiovascular disease. The CACS were categorized into two groups: no calcification (CACS = 0) (n = 187) and with calcification (CACS>0) (n = 313). ALP activity was divided into three tertile groups: low ALP level (<55 IU/L), intermediate (55-66 IU/L) and high ALP level (>66 IU/L). The mean age was 60.9 ± 10.8 years, 49.6% of the patients were women. ALP ranged from 22 to 164 IU/L (mean 62.6 IU/L, SD 19.3). In univariate analysis, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, statin use (p = 0.001), and ALP (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with CACS. After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, only age (p = 0.001) and sex (p = 0.001) were independently associated with CACS. Compared to the tertile group with low levels of ALP, the intermediate tertile group [OR 2.11, 95% CI (1.12; 3.96), p = 0.02], as well as the high tertile group [OR 3.89, 95% CI (2.01; 7.54), p = 0.001)], was independently associated with CACS. In patients free of cardiovascular disease, high ALP levels are positively and independently associated with coronary artery calcification. The metabolic pathway of ALP and inorganic pyrophosphate could be a target for new therapies against vascular calcification. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Potential for Prophyry Copper-Molybdenum Deposits in the Eastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmidt, Robert Gordon

1978-01-01

Several significant porphyry-type deposits of Paleozoic age are known in New England and eastern Canada. Disseminated copper-molybdenum deposits of Paleozoic age are in the Southeastern United States, and copper is produced from porphyry-type deposits of both Precambrian and Paleozoic age in eastern Canada. Although these old deposits are surely less abundant than those in Cenozoic and Tertiary porphyry belts, the known Precrambrian and Paleozoic deposits in Eastern North America appear to be valid exploration targets. The difficult of 'prospecting in drift-covered and saprolite-mantled terrains suggests that all such deposits probably have not been discovered. Although such deposits are more costly to discover in this region than a massive sulfide deposit, the total amount of copper in even a medium-sized porphyry copper deposit is much greater than in most massive sulfide deposits. This report summarizes current knowledge of porphyry copper-molybdenum-type deposits in the Eastern United States and suggests more favorable areas for mineral exploration. Selected Canadian deposits are discussed because of their bearing on planning exploration in this country.

Orographic precipitation, wind-blown snow, and landscape evolution in glaciated mountain ranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brocklehurst, S. H.; Rowan, A. V.; Plummer, M. A.; Foster, D.; Schultz, D. M.; MacGregor, K. R.

2011-12-01

Orographic precipitation and wind-blown snow appear to significantly influence the evolution of glaciated mountain ranges, and in narrow ranges the effect is opposite from orographic precipitation in non-glaciated ranges. While fluvially-eroded ranges tend to be exhumed more on the windward side, glacially-eroded ranges can experience greater erosion on the leeward side. On the timescale of an individual glaciation, the distribution of precipitation and settling is a key component of glacier mass balance and ice extent, while on longer timescales, the interaction of precipitation and topography can play a major role in landscape evolution and range morphology. Numerical modelling of last glacial maximum (LGM) ice extents for catchments on the eastern side of the Southern Alps, New Zealand, highlights the importance of the distribution of precipitation. The accumulation areas of the glaciers would have experienced much greater precipitation than lower elevations, because of the pronounced orographic precipitation gradient, so glacier length is very sensitive to the precipitation distribution employed for any given temperature change. This is particularly challenging given the lack of modern snow monitoring at high altitudes within the Southern Alps, the likelihood of steep accumulation gradients amongst high topography, below the resolution of current datasets, and the difficulty of extrapolating modern values to the LGM. The Sangre de Cristo Range, southern Colorado, and the Bitterroot Range on the Idaho-Montana border both run close to north-south, cross-cutting the prevailing westerly winds. Drainage basins on both sides of the ranges cover similar areas, but moraines are much more substantial on the eastern sides, indicating greater glacial incision, which we suggest at least partly reflects snow blown over the range crest. The Uinta Mountains, Utah, run west-east, parallel to prevailing winds, and show topographic asymmetry across individual catchments, rather than at the range scale. Rapid rock uplift and significant glacial erosion of the north-south Teton Range, Wyoming, has created some of the highest relief in the conterminous US. While an initial topographic asymmetry would have arisen from the tectonic gradient imposed by the extensional Teton Fault on the east side of the range, the topographic asymmetry would have been exaggerated by feedbacks associated with glacial erosion. Slowly-falling snow would have been advected further into the range by prevailing westerlies, which would also have redistributed fallen snow from the subdued topography typical of the headwaters of west-draining basins. Greater topographic shading and cover by rock debris would have mitigated ablation of eastern glaciers bounded by high valley walls. Glacier size, ice flux and erosion would therefore have been enhanced in eastern-draining basins, though only the largest glaciers were capable of eroding at rates that kept pace with rock uplift. Preliminary numerical modelling results are consistent with these inferences of the importance of orographic precipitation and wind-blown snow based on topographic analysis.

Tourmaline's record of Alpine metamorphism and segregation formation in the Pfitsch Formation, Western Tauern Window

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berryman, E. J.; Kutzschbach, M.; Trumbull, R. B.; Meixner, A.; van Hinsberg, V.; Kasemann, S.; Franz, G.

2017-12-01

Tourmaline, a common accessory mineral in the metasedimentary units of the Pfitsch Formation in the Western Tauern Window, Eastern Alps, records the variation in fluid composition and B mobilization during Alpine metamorphism. These post-Variscan metasediments are part of the Subpenninic nappes, the former European distal margin, and experienced peak metamorphic conditions of 550°C, 1.0 GPa. In all investigated units, tourmaline is predominantly dravitic, with high Fe contents. Charge balance calculations combined with Fe-Mg and Fe-Al variation suggest a significant proportion of ferric iron. Tourmaline's composition reflects its host rock assemblage, with the relative predominance of Fe-Mg or Fe-Al exchange in tourmaline from different units corresponding to the presence of biotite/chlorite or muscovite, respectively. Boron content and correspondingly tourmaline abundance is highest in a 25 m thick unit of feldspathic gneiss ( 20-200 ppm B). The abundance and size of the tourmaline crystals increases near coarse-grained quartzofeldspathic segregations ( 1200 ppm B), reflecting the mobilization and concentration of B by the metamorphic fluid. Tourmaline crystals near segregations have up to three growth zones, recording pro- ( 350-500°C, 0.7-1.0 GPa) and retrograde (400°C, 0.2 GPa) growth. They show the largest amount of compositional variation, covering the range of compositional space represented by tourmaline occurring away from segregations. Tourmaline near segregations has the highest inferred ferric iron content, which decreases across growth zones, potentially reflecting the gradual reduction of the fluid during metamorphism. Whole rock δ11B values (-15 to -34‰) vary with the heaviest values found near B-rich segregations, and the lightest values in B-depleted samples. This correlation reflects the preferential mobilization of 11B towards the segregations. Isotopic zonation of individual tourmaline crystals with -11‰ in their cores and -20‰ in their rims suggests continuous volatilization and fractionation of B by a 10B-rich precursor mineral (e.g. mica) during prograde mobilization and redistribution of B within the Pfitsch Formation.

Are Eastern Basin (Ross Sea, Antarctica) Bathymetric Ridges Associated With the Last Glacial Maximum?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chow, J. M.; Bart, P. J.

2005-05-01

Ross Sea (Antarctica) Eastern Basin bathymetric ridges have been interpreted to be ice stream divides created during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) advance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet based on radiocarbon dating of organic matter from near-seafloor sediments recovered in piston cores (Domack et al., 1999). Detailed seismic correlations and contour mapping show that there are at least five thick units outcropping in Eastern Basin. Four of these seismically-defined units can be correlated to age control at DSDP sites 270 and 272. In contrast to the near-seafloor sampling, the interiors of these units were initially assigned a Pliocene age based on a variety of microfossil biozones (Hayes and Frakes, 1975). Savage and Ciesielski (1983) determined that the youngest unit was deposited during the Coscinodiscus lentiginosus (since renamed Thalassiosira lentiginosa) diatom biozone (i.e., the unit formed sometime between 0.65 Ma to Recent timeframe). Thus, seafloor units in the area probably are of Quaternary age, but not necessarily LGM age. More recently, diatom biozonations for the Southern Ocean have been revised to provide more detailed biochronostratigraphic resolution (Zielinski and Gersonde, 2002; Zielinski et al., 2002). We are using the most recently-revised Southern Ocean diatom-zonation schemes to systematically evaluate ages of samples taken from the base of piston cores penetrating the five individual seismically-defined units in Eastern Basin. Using this sampling strategy, we increase the chances of penetrating through the Recent hemipelagic drape to sample the underlying seismically-defined units.

Environmental assessment hot spots of perforated forest in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Kurt H. Riitters; John W. Coulston

2005-01-01

National assessments of forest fragmentation satisfy international biodiversity conventions, but they do not identify specific places where ecological impacts are likely. In this article, we identify geographic concentrations (hot spots) of forest located near holes in otherwise intact forest canopies (perforated forest) in the eastern United States, and we describe...

Fragmentation of forest communities in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Kurt Riitters; John Coulston; James Wickham

2011-01-01

Forest fragmentation threatens the sustainability of forest communities in the eastern United States. Forest communities exhibiting either a low total area or low percentage of intact forest are subject to relatively higher risk of shifts in stand composition towards edge-adapted and invasive species. Such changes in stand composition could result in local extirpation...

CHARACTERIZATION OF LARGE PARTICLES AT A RURAL SITE IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES: MASS DISTRIBUTION AND INDIVIDUAL PARTICLE ANALYSIS

EPA Science Inventory

A unique combination of an effective sampler and analysis of individual particles has been used in studying large particles (> 5 micrometers) at a rural site in Eastern United States. The sampler is a modified 'high volume' rotary inertial impactor, which consists of four collect...

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SUMMER CONCENTRATIONS OF TOTAL NITROGEN AND CHLOROPHYLL A IN TEN COASTAL SYSTEMS IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES

EPA Science Inventory

We have examined relationships between summer (JuneAugust) average concentrations of total nitrogen (TN) and chlorophyll a (chl a) concentrations in the near-shore Mid-Atlantic Bight and nine bays and estuaries in the eastern United States: Boston Harbor/Massachusetts Bay, Long I...

Fire in the eastern United States: influence on wildlife habitat

Treesearch

D. H. Van Lear; R. F. Harlow

2002-01-01

Fire is a major influence shaping wildlife habitats in the eastern United States. Lightning- and Indian-ignited fires burned frequently and extensively over the pre-Columbian landscape and shaped the character of numerous ecosystems. Depending upon the frequency, intensity, and severity of the fires, various assemblages of plants developed along environmental gradients...

Wood fuel potential from harvested areas in the eastern United States.

Treesearch

Eugene M. Carpenter

1980-01-01

Estimates amount of wood fiber that could be available for fuel from forest residues on harvested areas in the eastern United States. Includes a key to resource data published by the USDA Forest Service and factors for estimating amounts of cull, bark, tops, and limbs from inventory and product output tabulations.

Human dimensions of early successional landscapes in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Paul H. Gobster

2001-01-01

People interactions wit early successional landscapes are varied and diverse. I review 3 key ways thta people perceive, use, and value forest landscapes, emphasizing selected types of early successional landscapes in the eastern United States(U.S.): production and comsumption of timber and nontimber forest products, visual and aesthetic perceptions , and recreational...

The Middle East Content Priority Teaching Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fix, Jerrold E.

Variations of a social studies unit on Middle Eastern culture, history, and geography are presented to aid secondary school classroom teachers as they develop and implement Middle Eastern area studies educational programs. The guide is presented in four parts, each of which represents one version of the unit. Teachers are directed to select the…

Advancement of tree species across ecotonal borders into non-forested ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanberry, Brice B.; Hansen, Mark H.

2015-10-01

Woody species are increasing in density, causing transition to more densely wooded vegetation states, and encroaching across ecotonal borders into non-forested ecosystems. We examined USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis data to identify tree species that have expanded longitudinally in range, particularly into the central United States. We analyzed compositional differences within ecological regions (i.e., subsections) in eastern and western ranges of species using repeated measures ANOVA. We considered differences in outer ranges to indicate range expansion or contraction. We also estimated the shift in forest area and basal area relative to the center of the US and compared change in deciduous forest land cover. Out of 80 candidate species, 22 species expanded to the west, seven species expanded to the east, and five species expanded in both directions. During the survey interval, eastern tree species advanced into the predominantly non-forested ecosystems of central United States. Eastern cottonwood, eastern hophornbeam, eastern redbud, honeylocust, Osage-orange, pecan, red mulberry, and Shumard oak represent some of the species that are advancing eastern forest boundaries across forest-grassland ecotones into the central United States. Forest land has shifted towards the center of the continent, as has the center of mean tree basal area, and a simple comparison of deciduous cover change also displayed forest advancement into the central United States from eastern forests. The expanding species may spread along riparian migration corridors that provide protection from drought. Humans use the advancing tree species for windbreaks, fencerows, and ornamental landscaping, while wildlife spread fruit seeds, which results in unintentional assisted migration, or translocation, to drier sites across the region.

Exhumation rates in the Gran Paradiso Massif (Western Alps) constrained by in situ U-Th-Pb dating of accessory phases (monazite, allanite and xenotime)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manzotti, Paola; Bosse, Valérie; Pitra, Pavel; Robyr, Martin; Schiavi, Federica; Ballèvre, Michel

2018-03-01

Exhumation rates for high-pressure metamorphic rocks need to be carefully estimated to decipher tectonic processes in subduction/collision belts. In the Gran Paradiso Massif (Western Alps), the Money Unit crops out as a tectonic window below the Gran Paradiso Unit. According to previous studies, the Gran Paradiso and Money Units reached peak pressure conditions at 18 to 20 kbar, 480-520 °C and 17 to 18 kbar, 500-550 °C, respectively. This yields a maximum difference of 9 to 10 km in the subduction depth reached by these two units during the Alpine history. Thrusting of the Gran Paradiso Unit over the Money Unit led to the simultaneous development of the main foliation under the same metamorphic conditions ( 12.5 to 14.5 kbar and 530-560 °C) in both units. The thrust contact was subsequently folded and then both units were exhumed together. The relative timing of the growth and dissolution of the accessory phases was assessed by combining thermodynamic modelling with inclusion, textural and chemical (major and trace element) data from both major and accessory phases. The age of monazite constrained the high-pressure metamorphism in both the Gran Paradiso Unit and the Money Unit at 41.5 ± 0.3 and 42.0 ± 0.6 Ma, respectively. Allanite replacing monazite in the matrix has been dated at 32.7 ± 4.2 Ma. The late growth of xenotime associated with the crystallization of biotite pseudomorphs at the expense of garnet (at about 10 kbar) was dated at 32.3 ± 1.0 Ma. Our petrochronological data indicate about 10 m.y. between the peak pressure conditions and the crystallization of xenotime leading to an exhumation rate of the order of 2.2-5 mm/year. The new ages allow to better constrain the timing of the displacement of the thrust defining the lower boundary of the extruding wedge of eclogite-facies rocks.

Surface exposure chronology of the Waimakariri glacial sequence in the Southern Alps of New Zealand: Implications for MIS-2 ice extent and LGM glacial mass balance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rother, Henrik; Shulmeister, James; Fink, David; Alexander, David; Bell, David

2015-11-01

During the late Quaternary, the Southern Alps of New Zealand experienced multiple episodes of glaciation with large piedmont glaciers reaching the coastal plains in the west and expanding into the eastern alpine forelands. Here, we present a new 10Be exposure age chronology for a moraine sequence in the Waimakariri Valley (N-Canterbury), which has long been used as a reference record for correlating glacial events across New Zealand and the wider Southern Hemisphere. Our data indicate that the Waimakariri glacier reached its maximum last glaciation extent prior to ∼26 ka well before the global last glaciation maximum (LGM). This was followed by a gradual reduction in ice volume and the abandonment of the innermost LGM moraines at about 17.5 ka. Significantly, we find that during its maximum extent, the Waimakariri glacier overflowed the Avoca Plateau, previously believed to represent a mid-Pleistocene glacial surface (i.e. MIS 8). At the same time, the glacier extended to a position downstream of the Waimakariri Gorge, some 15 km beyond the previously mapped LGM ice limit. We use a simple steady-state mass balance model to test the sensitivity of past glacial accumulation to various climatic parameters, and to evaluate possible climate scenarios capable of generating the ice volume required to reach the full local-LGM extent. Model outcomes indicate that under New Zealand's oceanic setting, a cooling of 5 °C, assuming modern precipitation levels, or a cooling of 6.5 °C, assuming a one third reduction in precipitation, would suffice to drive the Waimakariri glacier to the eastern alpine forelands (Canterbury Plains). Our findings demonstrate that the scale of LGM glaciation in the Waimakariri Valley and adjacent major catchments, both in terms of ice volume and downvalley ice extent, has been significantly underestimated. Our observation that high-lying glacial surfaces, so far believed to represent much older glacial episodes, were glaciated during the LGM, challenges the conventional geomorphic model of glaciation in New Zealand where the vertical arrangement of glacial landform-associations is used to assign successively older glaciation ages.

Geodynamic Implications of Himu Mantle In The Source of Tertiary Volcanics From The Veneto Region (south Eastern Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macera, P.; Gasperini, D.; Blichert-Toft; Bosch, D.; del Moro, A.; Dini, G.; Martin, S.; Piromallo, C.

DuringTertiary times extensive mafic volcanism took place in the South-Eastern Alps, along a half-graben structure bounded by the Schio-Vicenza main fault. This mag- matism gave rise to four main volcanic centers: Lessini, Berici, Euganei, and Maros- tica. The dominating rock types are alkali basalts, basanites and transitional basalts, with hawaiites, trachybasalts, tephrites, basaltic andesites, and differentiated rocks be- ing less common. Major and trace element and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic data for the most primitive lavas from each volcanic center show the typical features of HIMU hotspot volcanism, variably diluted by a depleted asthenospheric mantle component (87Sr/86Sr48Ma = 0.70314-0.70321; eNd48Ma = +6.4 to +6.5; eHf48Ma = +6.4 to +8.1, 206Pb/204Pb48Ma = 18.786-19.574). Since the HIMU component is consid- ered to be of deep mantle origin, its presence in a tectonic environment dominated by subduction (the Alpine subduction of the European plate below the Adria plate) has significant geodynamic implications. Slab detachment and ensuing rise of deep man- tle material into the lithospheric gap is proposed to be a viable mechanism of hotspot magmatism in a subduction zone setting. Interaction between deep-seated plume ma- terial and shallow depleted asthenospheric mantle may account for the geochemical features of the Veneto volcanics, as well as those of the so-called enriched astheno- spheric reservoir (EAR) component. Ascending counterflow of deep mantle material through the lithospheric gap to the top of the subducting slab further may induce heat- ing of the overriding plate and trigger it to partially melt. Upwelling of the resulting mafic magmas and their subsequent underplating at the mantle-lower crust bound- ary would favor partial melting of the lower crust, thereby giving rise to the bimodal mafic-felsic magmatism that characterizes the whole Periadriatic province. According to this model, the HIMU-like magmatism of the Alpine foreland is therefore closely related to the calc-alkaline magmatism of the Periadriatic Lineament, and caused by the same mechanism of Tertiary Alpine convergence tectonics.

Numerical analysis of the creeping behavior of the S. Andrea di Perarolo secondary landslide (Italian Eastern Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cioli, C.; Genevois, R.; Iafelice, M.; Zorzi, L.

2012-04-01

The S. Andrea landslide is a complex secondary phenomenon characterized by continuous movements causing a very high hazard condition for the near Perarolo di Cadore village (Italian Eastern Alps). A significant amount of geological and geotechnical investigations has been carried out in the past allowing the detection of the basal sliding surface. In specific, the sliding surface coincides with the contact between the bedrock and the overlying mass of an old landslides, involving a volume of about 180.000 cubic meters. A numerical approach has been adopted to analyze the stability of slope. This method is able to simulate the formation and development of shear zones as areas of strain localization in the model. Indeed, the S. Andrea landslide has been, then, investigated using FLAC, a two-dimensional explicit finite difference program, particularly useful in case of slopes with complex geometry. In order to build up a suitable model, variation of geological, hydrogeological and geotechnical parameters have been identified from the interpretation of all available data. In a preliminary stage, a Mohr-Coulomb plasticity model has been adopted except for the bedrock, which was characterized by an isotropic elastic model. Groundwater flow condition has been performed evaluating the change in pore pressure coupled to the mechanical deformation calculation. Numerical results show that this model cannot simulate real displacement behavior of the slope mainly due to both the complex material behavior and lithological heterogeneity, and due to geotechnical spatial complexity of different soils and mechanical parameters. It has been assumed that it was necessary to improve the model in the light of a time dependent behavior of existing soils. An elastic-viscoplastic model has been then used to reproduce the observed creeping behavior, and only in viscoplastic region time effects have been considered. Discussion of results points out on: i) the evolution of the ``mechanical damage'' within the moving mass; ii) the identification of possible causes of the displacements recorded in the field; iii) the utility of the computational approach for the creeping response of the soil slopes under constant load conditions and for two dimensional applications.

The rock avalanche of the Mt. Peron (Eastern Alps, Italy): new insights from 36Cl exposure dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Silvana; Ivy-ochs, Susan; Alfimov, Vasili; Vockenhuber, %Christof; Surian, Nicola; Campedel, Paolo; Rigo, Manuel; Viganò, Alfio; De Zorzi, Manuel

2016-04-01

In the Late Pleistocene, in the southern side of the Eastern Alps (Veneto region, Italy), when the glacier tongues retreated from the end moraine system areas towards the Dolomitic region, large rock avalanches took place. In the Belluno Valley, occupied by the Piave river, the left side is represented by the Belluno Prealps range, corresponding to the northern flank of a km-scale WSW-ENE oriented alpine syncline formed by rocks from Late Triassic to Late Tertiary in age. The Mt. Peron, belonging to this mountain range, shows its southern lower slope covered by debris cones with scattered boulders and its higher slope, corresponding to the scarp, made of vertical rock strata. At the foot of Mt. Peron, at a distance varying from 500 to 4500 m, there is a 4.5 km2 fan like area delimited by a perimeter of about 15 km. This is a hilly area of poortly sorted, chaotic deposits composed of heterogeneous debris, sandy and silty gravels, angular blocks and very large boulders of carbonatic rocks up to 20 m in diameter. The average thickness of the deposit was estimated to be 80 m, with maximum of 120 m. According to previous works, the main event occurred during the first phases of deglaciation, between 17,000 and 15,000 years BP. Popular stories narrate about two legendary villages destroyed by a mass of stones rolling down in the valley. This is confirmed by archeological findings in the Piave valley which indicate the presence of almost one pre-historic settlement dating 40000-20000 years a B.P., (i.e. before the Last Glacial Maximum).. Recent 36Cl exposure dating have yielded historical ages for both the boulders at the foot of the Mt Peron and those located a few km far from the main scarp. According to these exposure ages we can not exclude the hypothesis that earthquakes related to the Venetian faults could have played a key role for triggering of the rock avalanche and that the main gravitational event took place in historical times rather than during the deglaciation.

Debris-covered glaciers during the LGM and Lateglacial at the eastern margin of the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seidl, Sabrina; Reitner, Jürgen M.; Wagreich, Michael

2013-04-01

We present the reconstruction of paleo-glaciers in the easternmost part of the Alps (Schneeberg mountain) with the main focus on sedimentology, chronology and glacial dynamics. The area is dominantly made up of limestone bedrock and hence characterized by steep slopes and cirques. Two juvenile moraine-systems can be deciphered based on geological mapping. The major system is characterized by an up to 60 m high latero-frontal dump moraine with a prominent breach-lobe moraine in a lateral position. It is regarded to represent the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; Würm Pleniglacial). The other system is much smaller and was formed most probably during the Würm Lateglacial. The angular to subangular shape of the clasts and the abundant boulders on top of the ridges indicate a high portion of passive (Boulton, 1978) i.e. supraglacial and englacial transport of debris before deposition.Thus the model of a debris-covered glacier is favored to explain both landforms and as well the corresponding sediment facies. For the pleniglacial moraine such an assumption is backed by a low accumulation/ablation area ratio (AAR) of around 1:1 based on the reconstruction of the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) using the maximum elevation of lateral moraines (MELM; Lichtenecker, 1938). Furthermore as there is no indication of a former glacier snout glacio-fluvial processes should have played a limited role in sediment transport into the forefield. Such setting pinpoints to very cold-arid conditions, which are as well found in paleo-climate reconstructions of the eastern foreland (Frenzel et al. 1992). Boulton, G.S., 1978: Boulder shapes and grain-size distribution of debris as indicators of transport paths through a glacier and till genesis.- Sedimentology, 25, 773-799. Lichtenecker, N.,1938. Die gegenwärtige und die eiszeitliche Schneegrenze in den Ostalpen. In: Verhandlungen der III. Internationalen Quartär - Konferenz, Vienna, 1936, 141-147. Frenzel, B., Pecsi, M. & Velichko, A. A., 1992. Atlas of Paleoclimate and Paleoenvironments of the Northern Hemisphere: Late Pleistocene - Holocene. Geogr. Res. Institute, G. Fischer Verlag, Budapest-Stuttgart.

Biofunctionalization of aqueous dispersed, alumina membrane-templated polymer nanorods for use in enzymatic chemiluminescence assays.

PubMed

Mark, Sonny S; Stolper, Samuel I; Baratti, Carla; Park, Jason Y; Kricka, Larry J

2008-09-01

The noncovalent immobilization of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) onto aqueous dispersed nylon 6 nanorods ( approximately 310 nm mean diameter; approximately 6 microm mean length) prepared by anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane templating was studied. Using multi-stacked layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly with the cationic quaternary ammonium polymer Sapphire II , the amount of ALP enzyme loaded onto the polymer nanostructures was found to be 115+/-7 microg mg(-1) nanorod. The biofunctionalized nanorods were also characterized for their chemiluminescent activity with the dioxetane substrate, CSPD . The results indicate that the kinetic parameters, K(m) and V(max), for the catalytic activity of the nanostructure-bound ALP enzyme are different from those of soluble ('free') ALP. While the K(m) value was measured to be 156 microM for free ALP, the apparent K(m) value determined for the LBL-immobilized ALP is approximately 20% lower (122 microM). Furthermore, despite the relatively high enzyme loading capacity of the nanorods, the specific activity of the bound ALP enzyme was found to be almost nine times lower than that measured for free ALP. Finally, additional experiments revealed that the catalytic activities of both free ALP and nanorod-conjugated ALP are affected similarly by changes in pH, with optimal performance levels occurring under conditions of pH 9.5. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first report examining the preparation of aqueous dispersed, AAO-templated polymer nanorods for potential application as enzyme scaffolds in chemiluminescent-based assay systems.

Human alkaline phosphatase dephosphorylates microbial products and is elevated in preterm neonates with a history of late-onset sepsis.

PubMed

Pettengill, Matthew; Matute, Juan D; Tresenriter, Megan; Hibbert, Julie; Burgner, David; Richmond, Peter; Millán, José Luis; Ozonoff, Al; Strunk, Tobias; Currie, Andrew; Levy, Ofer

2017-01-01

A host defense function for Alkaline phosphatases (ALPs) is suggested by the contribution of intestinal ALP to detoxifying bacterial lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) in animal models in vivo and the elevation of ALP activity following treatment of human cells with inflammatory stimuli in vitro. However the activity of ALP in human plasma (primarily tissue-nonspecific ALP; TNAP) on lipopolysaccharide and other microbial products has not been assessed, nor has its expression been studied in preterm newborns, a vulnerable population at high risk of sepsis. In this context, the aim of our study was to characterize the activity of TNAP on Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists and assess the concentrations of plasma ALP during late-onset sepsis in preterm newborns. Recombinant human TNAP was incubated with microbial products and phosphate release was measured by malachite green assay. Plasma ALP activity was measured serially in a cohort of preterm (N = 129) infants at high risk of late-onset sepsis (LOS). TNAP dephosphorylates poly-inosine:cytosine (Toll-like receptor (TLR) 3 agonist) and LPS from Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella minnesota (TLR4 agonists). Plasma ALP significantly increased postnatally over the first 4 weeks of life in preterm and term newborns. Bacteremic LOS in preterm infants (gestational age ≤ 30 weeks) was associated with significantly elevated plasma ALP at 4 weeks postnatal age. TNAP, the main circulating isozyme of ALP, de-phosphorylates TLR agonists, demonstrates a post-natal age dependent increase in preterm and term plasma across the first 4 weeks of life, and is elevated in association with preterm LOS.

Genome-wide association study on serum alkaline phosphatase levels in a Chinese population

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is a complex phenotype influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Recent Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) have identified several loci affecting ALP levels; however, such studies in Chinese populations are limited. We performed a GWAS analyzing the association between 658,288 autosomal SNPs and serum ALP in 1,461 subjects, and replicated the top SNPs in an additional 8,830 healthy Chinese Han individuals. The interactions between significant locus and environmental factors on serum ALP levels were further investigated. Results The association between ABO locus and serum ALP levels was replicated (P = 2.50 × 10-21, 1.12 × 10-56 and 2.82 × 10-27 for SNP rs8176720, rs651007 and rs7025162 on ABO locus, respectively). SNP rs651007 accounted for 2.15% of the total variance of serum ALP levels independently of the other 2 SNPs. When comparing our findings with previously published studies, ethnic differences were observed across populations. A significant interaction between ABO rs651007 and overweight and obesity was observed (FDR for interaction was 0.036); for individuals with GG genotype, those with normal weight and those who were overweight or obese have similar serum ALP concentrations; minor allele A of rs651007 remarkably reduced serum ALP levels, but this effect was attenuated in overweight and obese individuals. Conclusions Our findings indicate that ABO locus is a major determinant for serum ALP levels in Chinese Han population. Overweight and obesity modifies the effect of ABO locus on serum ALP concentrations. PMID:24094242

The ALP miracle: unified inflaton and dark matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daido, Ryuji; Takahashi, Fuminobu; Yin, Wen

2017-05-01

We propose a scenario where both inflation and dark matter are described by a single axion-like particle (ALP) in a unified manner. In a class of the minimal axion hilltop inflation, the effective masses at the maximum and mimimum of the potential have equal magnitude but opposite sign, so that the ALP inflaton is light both during inflation and in the true vacuum. After inflation, most of the ALPs decay and evaporate into plasma through a coupling to photons, and the remaining ones become dark matter. We find that the observed CMB and matter power spectrum as well as the dark matter abundance point to an ALP of mass mphi = Script O(0.01) eV and the axion-photon coupling gphi γ γ = Script O(10-11) GeV-1: the ALP miracle. The suggested parameter region is within the reach of the next generation axion helioscope, IAXO, and high-intensity laser experiments in the future. Furthermore, thermalized ALPs contribute to hot dark matter and its abundance is given in terms of the effective number of extra neutrino species, Δ Neff simeq 0.03, which can be tested by the future CMB and BAO observations. We also discuss a case with multiple ALPs, where the coupling to photons can be enhanced in the early Universe by an order of magnitude or more, which enlarges the parameter space for the ALP miracle. The heavy ALP plays a role of the waterfall field in hybrid inflation, and reheats the Universe, and it can be searched for in various experiments such as SHiP.

Tannin Degradation by a Novel Tannase Enzyme Present in Some Lactobacillus plantarum Strains

PubMed Central

Jiménez, Natalia; Esteban-Torres, María; Mancheño, José Miguel; de las Rivas, Blanca

2014-01-01

Lactobacillus plantarum is frequently isolated from the fermentation of plant material where tannins are abundant. L. plantarum strains possess tannase activity to degrade plant tannins. An L. plantarum tannase (TanBLp, formerly called TanLp1) was previously identified and biochemically characterized. In this study, we report the identification and characterization of a novel tannase (TanALp). While all 29 L. plantarum strains analyzed in the study possess the tanBLp gene, the gene tanALp was present in only four strains. Upon methyl gallate exposure, the expression of tanBLp was induced, whereas tanALp expression was not affected. TanALp showed only 27% sequence identity to TanBLp, but the residues involved in tannase activity are conserved. Optimum activity for TanALp was observed at 30°C and pH 6 in the presence of Ca2+ ions. TanALp was able to hydrolyze gallate and protocatechuate esters with a short aliphatic alcohol substituent. Moreover, TanALp was able to fully hydrolyze complex gallotannins, such as tannic acid. The presence of the extracellular TanALp tannase in some L. plantarum strains provides them an advantage for the initial degradation of complex tannins present in plant environments. PMID:24610854

Tannin degradation by a novel tannase enzyme present in some Lactobacillus plantarum strains.

PubMed

Jiménez, Natalia; Esteban-Torres, María; Mancheño, José Miguel; de Las Rivas, Blanca; Muñoz, Rosario

2014-05-01

Lactobacillus plantarum is frequently isolated from the fermentation of plant material where tannins are abundant. L. plantarum strains possess tannase activity to degrade plant tannins. An L. plantarum tannase (TanBLp, formerly called TanLp1) was previously identified and biochemically characterized. In this study, we report the identification and characterization of a novel tannase (TanALp). While all 29 L. plantarum strains analyzed in the study possess the tanBLp gene, the gene tanALp was present in only four strains. Upon methyl gallate exposure, the expression of tanBLp was induced, whereas tanALp expression was not affected. TanALp showed only 27% sequence identity to TanBLp, but the residues involved in tannase activity are conserved. Optimum activity for TanALp was observed at 30°C and pH 6 in the presence of Ca(2+) ions. TanALp was able to hydrolyze gallate and protocatechuate esters with a short aliphatic alcohol substituent. Moreover, TanALp was able to fully hydrolyze complex gallotannins, such as tannic acid. The presence of the extracellular TanALp tannase in some L. plantarum strains provides them an advantage for the initial degradation of complex tannins present in plant environments.

Agreement between Eastern Michigan University and the Eastern Michigan University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, September 1, 1985-August 31, 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Eastern Michigan University and the Eastern Michigan University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period September 1, 1985-August 31, 1987 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions, unit recognition, management rights, union rights,…

Simulation of the Indirect Radiative Forcing of Climate Due to Aerosols by the Two-Way Coupled WRF-CMAQ over the Eastern United States

EPA Science Inventory

In this study, the shortwave cloud forcing (SWCF) and longwave cloud forcing (LWCF) are estimated with the newly developed two-way coupled WRF-CMAQ over the eastern United States. Preliminary indirect aerosol forcing has been successfully implemented in WRF-CMAQ. The comparisons...

Fragmentation of eastern United States forest types

Treesearch

Kurt H. Riitters; John W. Coulston

2013-01-01

Fragmentation is a continuing threat to the sustainability of forests in the Eastern United States, where land use changes supporting a growing human population are the primary driver of forest fragmentation (Stein and others 2009). While once mostly forested, approximately 40 percent of the original forest area has been converted to other land uses, and most of the...

Status of Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees in the presence of laurel wilt disease and throughout the eastern United States

Treesearch

KaDonna C. Randolph

2017-01-01

Sassafras albidum (Sassafras) is an ecologically important tree species that is widely distributed throughout the eastern United States. Sassafras is presently threatened by Raffaelea lauricola, a fungus vectored by Xyleborus glabratus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae; Redbay Ambrosia Beetle), which...

Proceedings of the US/FRG research symposium: effects of atmospheric pollutants on the spruce-fir forests of the Eastern United States and the Federal Republic of Germany

Treesearch

Gerard, tech. coord. Hertel; Gerard Hertel

1988-01-01

Includes 66 papers presented at the US/FRG research symposium: effects of atmospheric pollutants on the spruce-fir forests of the Eastern United States and the Federal Republic of Germany, which was held October 19-23, 1987, in Burlington, Vermont.

The demise of fire and "mesophication" of forests in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Gregory J. Nowacki; Marc D. Abrams

2008-01-01

A diverse array of fire-adapted plant communities once covered the eastern United States. European settlement greatly altered fire regimes, often increasing fire occurrence (e.g., in northern hardwoods) or substantially decreasing it (e.g., in tallgrass prairies). Notwithstanding these changes, fire suppression policies, beginning around the 1920s, greatly reduced fire...

Eastern wilderness users: perceptions from two small wilderness areas

Treesearch

Nicholas Palso; Alan Graefe

2007-01-01

This study explores perceptions of wilderness recreationists in the eastern United States, with a focus on definitions of wilderness areas and factors that may decrease enjoyment of the wilderness experience. The eventual aim is to compare these data with information collected from wilderness users in the western United States. The few studies performed on this...

Predicting abundance of 80 tree species following climate change in the Eastern United States

Treesearch

Louis R. Iverson; Anantha M. Prasad; Anantha M. Prasad

1998-01-01

Projected climate warming will potentially have profound effects on the earth?s biota, including a large redistribution of tree species. We developed models to evaluate potential shifts for 80 individual tree species in the eastern United States. First, environmental factors associated with current ranges of tree species were assessed using geographic information...

Volume and Availability of Eastern Hardwoods

Treesearch

Raymond M. Sheffield; William A. Bechtold

1990-01-01

In the Eastern United States, some 354 million acres of timberland are classified as a hardwood or pine-hardwood forest type. The inventory of hardwood growing stock totals 275 billion cubic feet, or 90 percent of the hardwood inventory in the United States. Whereas hardwood inventories have increased by 70 percent since 1952, the availability of this resource for use...

Total and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase are associated with bone mineral density over time in end-stage renal disease patients starting dialysis.

PubMed

Bergman, Annelie; Qureshi, Abdul Rashid; Haarhaus, Mathias; Lindholm, Bengt; Barany, Peter; Heimburger, Olof; Stenvinkel, Peter; Anderstam, Björn

2017-04-01

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bone-specific ALP (BALP) are implicated in the abnormal skeletal mineralization and accelerated vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Whereas ALP and BALP may predict mortality in CKD, BALP is reported to have higher sensitivity and specificity than total ALP in reflecting histological alterations in bone; however, results on their associations with bone mineral density (BMD) are inconsistent. Here we evaluated associations of total ALP and BALP with BMD during up to 24 months in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. In this longitudinal study, 194 ESRD patients (median age 57 years, 66 % male, 32 % diabetes mellitus, mean body mass index 24.8 kg/m 2 ) underwent measurements of total ALP and BALP and total and regional body BMD (by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) at dialysis initiation (n = 194), and after 12 (n = 98) and 24 months (n = 40) on dialysis. At baseline, patients had median total ALP 65.4 (43.3-126.4) U/l, BALP 13.5 (7.1-27.3) µg/l and BMD 1.14 (0.97-1.31) g/cm 2 . During the study period, serum concentrations of ALP and BALP increased significantly (p < 0.001), whereas total and regional BMD remained stable. BMD correlated inversely with total ALP (rho = -0.20, p = 0.005) and BALP (rho = -0.30, p < 0.001) at baseline, and correlations were similar also at 12 and 24 months. ALP and BALP are equally accurate albeit weak predictors of BMD in ESRD patients, both at baseline and longitudinally. The dissociation between stable BMD and increasing ALP and BALP may possibly reflect increased soft tissue calcifications with time on dialysis.

Tectolinear interpretation of a 1:5,000,000 Landsat-1 mosaic compared with the structure of central and eastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kutina, Jan; Carter, William D.

1978-01-01

The pattern of lineaments and curvilinear features interpreted from a 1:5,000,000 mosaic of satellite images (Landsat-1 was superimposed on a simplified version of the Geological Map of the United States, 1:2,500,000 scale, showing the structural scheme of Central and Eastern United States. A comparison of the above two patterns, shown in Fig. 1, is presented in this paper.

Eastern red cedar: Cedarwood oil extraction and bioactivity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Eastern red cedar (ERC), Juniperus virginana L. (Cupressaceae) is a common coniferous evergreen tree and is a very abundant natural resource in the United States. Because of its encroachment onto pastures and rangeland, ERC is considered an invasive species. Eastern red cedar, however, is highly pri...

Serum Alkaline Phosphatase Levels Predict Infection-Related Mortality and Hospitalization in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients.

PubMed

Hwang, Seun Deuk; Kim, Su-Hyun; Kim, Young Ok; Jin, Dong Chan; Song, Ho Chul; Choi, Euy Jin; Kim, Yong-Lim; Kim, Yon-Su; Kang, Shin-Wook; Kim, Nam-Ho; Yang, Chul Woo; Kim, Yong Kyun

2016-01-01

Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels have been reported to be associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. However, it is unclear whether serum ALP levels predict infection-related clinical outcomes in PD patients. The aim of this study was to determine the relationships between serum ALP levels, infection-related mortality and hospitalization in PD patients. PD patients from the Clinical Research Center registry for end-stage renal disease, a multicenter prospective observational cohort study in Korea, were included in the present study. Patients were categorized into three groups by serum ALP tertiles as follows: Tertile 1, ALP <78 U/L; Tertile 2, ALP = 78-155 U/L; Tertile 3, ALP >155 U/L. Tertile 1 was used as the reference category. The primary outcomes were infection-related mortality and hospitalization. A total of 1,455 PD patients were included. The median follow-up period was 32 months. The most common cause of infection-related mortality and hospitalization was PD-related peritonitis. Multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that patients in the highest tertiles of serum ALP levels were at higher risk of infection-related mortality (HR 2.29, 95% CI, 1.42-5.21, P = 0.008) after adjustment for clinical variables. Higher tertiles of serum ALP levels were associated with higher risk of infection-related hospitalization (Tertile 2: HR 1.56, 95% CI, 1.18-2.19, P = 0.009, tertile 3: HR 1.34, 95% CI, 1.03-2.62, P = 0.031). Our data showed that elevated serum ALP levels were independently associated with a higher risk of infection-related mortality and hospitalization in PD patients.

Synthesis and effect of Ce and Mn co-doping on photoluminescence characteristics of Ca6AlP5O20:Eu novel phosphors.

PubMed

Shinde, K N; Dhoble, S J

2013-01-01

A series of Ca6AlP5O20 doped with rare earths (Eu and Ce) and co-doped (Eu, Ce and Eu,Mn) were prepared by combustion synthesis. Under Hg-free excitation, Ca6AlP5O20:Eu exhibited Eu(2+) (486 nm) emission in the blue region of the spectrum and under near Hg excitation (245 nm), Ca6AlP5O20:Ce phosphor exhibited Ce(3+) emission (357 nm) in the UV range. Photoluminescence (PL) peak intensity increased in Ca6AlP5O20:Eu,Ce and Ca6AlP5O20:Eu, Mn phosphors due to co-activators of Ce(3+) and Mn(2+) ions. As a result, these ions played an important role in PL emission in the present matrix. Ca6AlP5O20:Eu, Ce and Ca6AlP5O20:Eu, Mn phosphors provided energy transfer mechanisms via Ce(3+) → Eu(2+) and Eu(2+) → Mn(2+), respectively. Eu ions acted as activators and Ce ions acted as sensitizers. Ce emission energy was well matched with Eu excitation energy in the case of Ca6AlP5O20:Eu, Ce and Eu ions acted as activators and Mn ions acted as sensitizers in Ca6AlP5O20:Eu, Mn. This study included synthesis of new and efficient phosphate phosphors. The impact of doping and co-doping on photoluminescence properties and energy transfer mechanisms were investigated and we propose a feasible interpretation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Could Alerting Physicians for Low Alkaline Phosphatase Levels Be Helpful in Early Diagnosis of Hypophosphatasia?

PubMed

Deeb, Asma; Elfatih, Abubaker

2018-03-01

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is an inborn error of metabolism with significant morbidity and mortality. Its presentation is nonspecific leading to delayed or missed diagnosis. Low alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is a diagnostic test. Unlike high ALP, low level is commonly not flagged by laboratories as abnormal. A new treatment was shown to be effective in HPP. In this study we aimed to establish the frequency of low ALP levels requiring notification to physicians by the laboratory and also to describe the clinical manifestations of patients presenting with low ALP for a possible diagnosis of HPP. Patients under age 18 years with low ALP levels were identified from biochemistry records over a period of 6 months. Reference ranges were used as per the Associated Regional and University Pathologists Reference Laboratory (Utah, USA). Electronic results for patients with low levels were checked for flagging as abnormal/low ALP results. Charts of identified patients were reviewed. Presenting features were categorized under groups of disorders. ALP levels were tested in 2890 patients. 702 had values less than 160 U/L. Of these patients, 226 (32%) had age/gender specific low ALP. None of the low ALP results was flagged as low. Twenty-one had more than one low reading and their charts were reviewed. Four patients in the neuromuscular and four in the miscellaneous group presented with features consistent with HPP despite these patients having no specific diagnoses. Laboratories do not alert physicians in cases with low ALP levels. A persistently low level in patients with unspecified diagnoses could be a key to diagnose HPP. Implementing lab-specific ranges and alerting for low levels could prompt physicians to investigate for undiagnosed HPP.

Increased serum alkaline phosphatase levels correlate with high disease activity and low bone mineral density in patients with axial spondyloarthritis.

PubMed

Kang, Kwi Young; Hong, Yeon Sik; Park, Sung-Hwan; Ju, Ji Hyeon

2015-10-01

Recent studies report an association between serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels and inflammation. The present study examined the relationship between ALP and disease activity, bone mineral density (BMD), and radiological damage in axial spondyloarthritis (SpA). A total of 115 patients who fulfilled the ASAS axial SpA criteria were enrolled. Serum ALP, bone-specific ALP (BALP), serum cross-linked telopeptide of type-I collagen (sCTX), and inflammatory markers were measured. Clinical parameters, BMD, grade of sacroiliitis, and the modified Stoke AS Spinal Score (mSASSS) were also assessed. The Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) was also calculated. The associations between serum ALP, disease activity score, BMD, and radiologic damage were evaluated. The mean serum ALP level was 77 ± 26 U/l. Serum ALP levels increased in 14 patients (13%). Serum ALP levels increased along with ASDAS-CRP after adjusting for age and sex (p = 0.004), and were significantly correlated with ASDAS-ESR and ASDAS-CRP (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively), negatively correlated with BMD in the lumbar spine and femoral neck (p = 0.003 and 0.046, respectively), and positively correlated with sacroiliitis grade and the mSASSS (p < 0.001 and p < 0.002, respectively). BALP and sCTX were not associated with disease activity or BMD. Multivariate analysis showed that serum ALP was independently associated with ASDAS-CRP (p = 0.010). Increased serum ALP levels were associated with high disease activity, low BMD, and higher structural damage scores in SpA patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute lumbosacral polyradiculopathy due to cytomegalovirus in advanced HIV disease: CSF findings in 17 patients.

PubMed Central

Miller, R F; Fox, J D; Thomas, P; Waite, J C; Sharvell, Y; Gazzard, B G; Harrison, M J; Brink, N S

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To describe the abnormalities in CSF from HIV infected patients with acute lumbosacral polyradiculopathy (ALP) caused by cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. METHODS: Retrospective case notes and laboratory records were reviewed for 17 consecutive patients with CMV associated ALP admitted to specialist HIV/AIDS units at UCL Hospitals and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. RESULTS: Infection with CMV was confirmed by detection of CMV DNA by polymerase chain reaction amplification in 15 patients (all of whom were negative by culture), by culture in one patient, and by objective clinical response to anti-CMV treatment in one patient. Only nine patients had a CSF pleocytosis 28-1142 (median 150) cells/mm3; in seven there was a polymorphonuclear (PMN) leucocyte preponderance. Protein concentrations in CSF were moderately or considerably raised in 13 patients; CSF: plasma glucose ratios were < or = 50% in five patients. Two patients had no pleocytosis, normal CSF: plasma glucose, and normal or near normal protein values. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormalities in CSF in CMV associated ALP are varied: only 50% of patients have a "typical" PMN preponderant pleocytosis. The diagnosis of this condition should not rely on demonstration of a PMN preponderant pleocytosis, but on identification of CMV DNA in CSF and the exclusion of other opportunistic infections and lymphoma in order that specific anti-CMV treatment may be instituted. PMID:8937337

Using "big data" to guide implementation of a web and mobile adaptive learning platform for medical students.

PubMed

Menon, Ashwin; Gaglani, Shiv; Haynes, M Ryan; Tackett, Sean

2017-09-01

Adaptive learning platforms (ALPs) can revolutionize medical education by making learning more efficient, but their potential has not been realized because students do not use them persistently. We applied educational data mining methods to study United States medical students who used an ALP called Osmosis ( www.osmosis.org ) from 1 August 2014 to 31 July 2015. Multivariate logistic regressions modeled persistence on Osmosis as the dependent variable and Osmosis-collected variables as predictors. The 6787 students included in our analysis responded to a total of 887,193 items, with 2138 (31.5%) using Osmosis persistently. Number of items per student, mobile device use, subscription payment, and group membership were independently associated with persisting (p < 0.001 in all models). Persistent users rated quality more favorably (p < 0.01) but were not more confident in answer selections (p = 0.80). While persisters were more accurate than non-persisters (55% (SD 18%) vs 52% (SD 22%), p < 0.001), after adjusting for number of items, lower accuracy was associated with persistent use (OR 0.93 [95% CI 0.90-0.97], p < 0.01). Our study of a large sample of U.S. medical students illustrates big data medical education research and provides guidance for improving implementation of ALPs and further investigation.

Contributions of axionlike particles to lepton dipole moments

DOE PAGES

Marciano, W. J.; Masiero, A.; Paradisi, P.; ...

2016-12-30

We examined contributions of a spin-0 axionlike particle (ALP) to lepton dipole moments, g - 2 and EDMs. Barr-Zee and light-by-light loop effects from a light pseudoscalar ALP are found to be capable of resolving the longstanding muon g - 2 discrepancy at the expense of relatively large ALP - γ γ couplings. We also discussed the compatibility of such large couplings with direct experimental constraints and perturbative unitarity bounds. Future tests of such a scenario are described. For C P -violating ALP couplings, the electron EDM is found to probe much smaller, theoretically more easily accommodated ALP interactions. Wemore » advocate future planned improvements in electron EDM searches as a way to not only significantly constrain ALP parameters, but also potentially unveil a new source of C P violation which could have far-reaching ramifications.« less

Investigation of Characteristics and Predictive Factors Affecting Mortality from Aluminum Phosphide Poisoning, Iran.

PubMed

Navabi, Seyed Mohammad Navabi; Navabi, Seyed Jafar; Aghaei, Abbas; Shaahmadi, Zahra; Heydari, Ruhollah

2018-05-27

Aluminum phosphide (ALP) or rice tablet is one of the most effective rodenticides used for the protection of grain storages from animals and rodents. ALP poisoning annually leads to mortality in human beings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics and predictive factors affecting mortality from ALP poisoning. This study evaluated patients with ALP poisoning referred to Imam Khomeini hospital in Kermanshah from 2014 to 2015. There are several data gathered from patient such as age, sex, number of consumed tablets, the number of attempts to commit suicide, elapsed time from consuming till treatment, blood pressure, PH, HCO3 and PCO2. Survivors (recovery) and non-survivors (death) from ALP poisoning are also evaluated in this study. Univariate logistic regression and multivariate analysis have been applied for data analysis. In this study, 48 patients were male and 29 patients were female, respectively (total 77 patient). The average age of survivors and non-survivors were 28.69 and 31.34 years, respectively. All cases (100%) of ALP poisoning were tried to commit suicide. The results showed that the main predictive variables of mortality from ALP poisoning were blood pressure, PH and elapsed time from consuming till treatment. The prognosis of death for patients with ALP poisoning can be determined by awareness of some of the main characteristics or factors such as blood pressure, PH and elapsed time from consuming till treatment. This can give a possibility for healthcare groups to consider more measures in patients with ALP poisoning.

Detection of alkaline phosphatase in canine cells previously stained with Wright-Giemsa and its utility in differentiating osteosarcoma from other mesenchymal tumors.

PubMed

Ryseff, Julia K; Bohn, Andrea A

2012-09-01

Osteosarcoma (OSA) is a common primary bone tumor in dogs. Demonstration of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) reactivity by tumor cells on unstained slides is useful in differentiating osteosarcoma from other types of sarcoma. However, unstained slides are not always available. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic utility of detecting ALP expression in differentiating osteosarcoma from other sarcomas in dogs using cytologic material previously stained with Wright-Giemsa stain and to assess the sensitivity and specificity of ALP expression for diagnosing osteosarcoma using a specific protocol. Archived aspirates of histologically confirmed sarcomas in dogs that had been previously stained with Wright-Giemsa stain were treated with 5-bromo, 4-chloro, 3-indolyl phosphate/nitroblue tetrazolium (BCIP/NBT) as a substrate for ALP. Cells were evaluated for expression of ALP after incubation with BCIP/NBT for 1 hour. Sensitivity and specificity of ALP expression for diagnosis of OSA were calculated. In samples from 83 dogs, cells from 15/17 OSAs and from 4/66 tumors other than OSA (amelanotic melanoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, collision tumor, and anaplastic sarcoma) expressed ALP. Sensitivity and specificity of ALP expression detected using BCIP/NBT substrate applied to cells previously stained with Wright-Giemsa stain for OSA were 88 and 94%, respectively. ALP expression detected using BCIP/NBT substrate applied to previously stained cells is useful in differentiating canine OSA from other mesenchymal neoplasms. © 2012 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Winter precipitation effect in a mid-latitude temperature-limited environment: the case of common juniper at high elevation in the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellizzari, Elena; Pividori, Mario; Carrer, Marco

2014-10-01

Common juniper (Juniperus communis L.) is by far the most widespread conifer in the world. However, tree-ring research dealing with this species is still scarce, mainly due to the difficulty in crossdating associated with the irregular stem shape with strip-bark growth form in older individuals and the high number of missing and wedging rings. Given that many different species of the same genus have been successfully used in tree-ring investigations and proved to be reliable climate proxies, this study aims to (i) test the possibility to successfully apply dendrochronological techniques on common juniper growing above the treeline and (ii) verify the climate sensitivity of the species with special regard to winter precipitation, a climatic factor that generally does not affect tree-ring growth in all Alpine high-elevation tree species. Almost 90 samples have been collected in three sites in the central and eastern Alps, all between 2100 and 2400 m in elevation. Despite cross-dating difficulties, we were able to build a reliable chronology for each site, each spanning over 200 years. Climate-growth relationships computed over the last century highlight that juniper growth is mainly controlled by the amount of winter precipitation. The high variability of the climate-growth associations among sites, corresponds well to the low spatial dependence of this meteorological factor. Fairly long chronologies and the presence of a significant precipitation signal open up the possibility to reconstruct past winter precipitation.

Assessment of abiotic and biotic factors associated with eastern white pine ( Pinus strobus L.) dieback in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

Treesearch

Ashley N. Schulz; Angela M. Mech; Christopher Asaro; David R. Coyle; Michelle M. Cram; Rima D. Lucardi; Kamal J.K. Gandhi

2018-01-01

A novel and emerging eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) dieback phenomenon is occurring in the Southern Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States. Symptomatic eastern white pine trees exhibit canopy thinning, branch dieback, and cankers on the branches and bole. These symptoms are often associated with the presence of a scale insect, Matsucoccus...

Macro-scale assessment of demographic and environmental variation within genetically derived evolutionary lineages of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), an imperiled conifer of the eastern United States

Treesearch

Anantha M. Prasad; Kevin M. Potter

2017-01-01

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) occupies a large swath of eastern North America and has historically undergone range expansion and contraction resulting in several genetically separate lineages. This conifer is currently experiencing mortality across most of its range following infestation of a non-native insect. With the goal of better...

Mesozoic (Lower Jurassic) red stromatactis limestones from the Southern Alps (Arzo, Switzerland): calcite mineral authigenesis and syneresis-type deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neuweiler, Fritz; Bernoulli, Daniel

2005-02-01

The Broccatello lithological unit (Lower Jurassic, Hettangian to lower parts of Upper Sinemurian) near the village of Arzo (southern Alps, southern Switzerland) is a mound-shaped carbonate deposit that contains patches of red stromatactis limestone. Within the largely bioclastic Broccatello unit, the stromatactis limestone is distinguished by its early-diagenetic cavity system, a relatively fine-grained texture, and an in-situ assemblage of calcified siliceous sponges (various demosponges and hexactinellids). A complex shallow subsurface diagenetic pathway can be reconstructed from sediment petrography in combination with comparative geochemical analysis (carbon and oxygen isotopes; trace and rare earth elements, REE + Y). This pathway includes organic matter transformation, aragonite and skeletal opal dissolution, patchy calcification and lithification, sediment shrinkage, sagging and collapse, partial REE remobilization, and multiple sediment infiltration. These processes occurred under normal-marine, essentially oxic conditions and were independent from local, recurring syn-sedimentary faulting. It is concluded that the stromatactis results from a combination of calcite mineral authigenesis and syneresis-type deformation. The natural stromatactis phenomenon may thus be best explained by maturation processes of particulate polymer gels expected to form in fine-grained carbonate sediments in the shallow subsurface. Conditions favorable for the evolution of stromatactis appear to be particularly frequent during drowning of tropical or subtropical carbonate platforms.

Forest cutting and impacts on carbon in the eastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zhou, Decheng; Liu, Shuguang; Oeding, Jennifer; Zhao, Shuqing

2013-01-01

Forest cutting is a major anthropogenic disturbance that affects forest carbon (C) storage and fluxes. Yet its characteristics and impacts on C cycling are poorly understood over large areas. Using recent annualized forest inventory data, we estimated cutting-related loss of live biomass in the eastern United States was 168 Tg C yr−1 from 2002 to 2010 (with C loss per unit forest area of 1.07 Mg ha−1 yr−1), which is equivalent to 70% of the total U.S. forest C sink or 11% of the national annual CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel combustion over the same period. We further revealed that specific cutting-related C loss varied with cutting intensities, forest types, stand ages, and geographic locations. Our results provide new insights to the characteristics of forest harvesting activities in the eastern United States and highlight the significance of partial cutting to regional and national carbon budgets.

ALPS: A Linear Program Solver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferencz, Donald C.; Viterna, Larry A.

1991-01-01

ALPS is a computer program which can be used to solve general linear program (optimization) problems. ALPS was designed for those who have minimal linear programming (LP) knowledge and features a menu-driven scheme to guide the user through the process of creating and solving LP formulations. Once created, the problems can be edited and stored in standard DOS ASCII files to provide portability to various word processors or even other linear programming packages. Unlike many math-oriented LP solvers, ALPS contains an LP parser that reads through the LP formulation and reports several types of errors to the user. ALPS provides a large amount of solution data which is often useful in problem solving. In addition to pure linear programs, ALPS can solve for integer, mixed integer, and binary type problems. Pure linear programs are solved with the revised simplex method. Integer or mixed integer programs are solved initially with the revised simplex, and the completed using the branch-and-bound technique. Binary programs are solved with the method of implicit enumeration. This manual describes how to use ALPS to create, edit, and solve linear programming problems. Instructions for installing ALPS on a PC compatible computer are included in the appendices along with a general introduction to linear programming. A programmers guide is also included for assistance in modifying and maintaining the program.

Fleas (Siphonaptera) of the Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) in West Virginia with comments on host specificity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Castleberry, S.B.; Castleberry, N.L.; Wood, P.B.; Ford, W.M.; Mengak, M.T.

2003-01-01

Previous research has indicated fewer host-specific ectoparasites on woodrats of the eastern United States as compared to western woodrat species. The Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) is a species of conservation concern that is associated with rocky habitats in the Appalachian and Interior Highland regions in the eastern United States. We examined Allegheny woodrat flea parasites in the core of the distribution to further elucidate patterns of ectoparasite host specificity in woodrats of the eastern United States. Of 346 fleas collected from 62 Allegheny woodrats, all but 1 were identified as Orchopeas pennsylvanicus. The single exception was a male Epitedia cavernicola, which represents only the second collection of this species from West Virginia. Unlike the eastern woodrat (Neotoma floridana), which hosts a variety of generalist flea parasites, Allegheny woodrats in our study were host to only 2 flea species, both of which are host specific to woodrats. We suggest that flea host specificity may be related to the specific habitat requirements of this species.

Facies in stratigraphy: from 'terrains' to 'terranes'.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, C.M.

1985-01-01

Concepts of lateral variation in sedimentary rocks and fossil assemblages developed in France from the 1760s; the definitive definition of facies was provided in 1838 by the Swiss geologist Amanz Gressly (1814-65) in his detailed field study of the eastern Jura. His maps and cross-sections of variations in Jurassic and Triassic rocks are illustrated. He believed that variations reflected environmental conditions, as in modern seas, and would eventually permit former depths to be reconstructed. Gressly studied at Strasbourg under Voltz and Thurmann: he collaborated with L.Agassiz, E.Desor and C.Vogt. His work influenced German and French geologists and provided a basis for interpretations of the Alps. But the facies concept was not deeply rooted in American geology until around 1884 (H.S.Williams) and in Britain and Russia until around 1900. I.S.Evans

Introduction to the special issue: permafrost and periglacial research from coasts to mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schrott, Lothar; Humlum, Ole

2017-09-01

This special issue of Geomorphology includes eleven papers dealing with permafrost and periglacial research from coasts to mountains. The compilation represents a selection from 47 presentations (oral and posters) given at the 4th European Conference on Permafrost - IPA Regional Conference (EUCOP4, June 2014) in the session ;Periglacial Geomorphology;. Geomorphology as a leading journal for our discipline is particularly suitable to publish advances in permafrost and periglacial research with a focus on geomorphic processes. Since 1989 Geomorphology has published 121 special issues and two special issues are explicitly dedicated to permafrost and periglacial research, however, only with a focus on research in Antarctica. In this special issue we present papers from the Canadian Beaufort Sea, Alaska, Spitzbergen, central western Poland, the European Alps, the eastern Sudetes, the southern Carpathians, Nepal, and Antarctica.

Termite Behavior: Measuring the Postanoxic Consumption Rates of Landscape Mulches by Eastern Subterranean Termites

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, D. Parks

2013-01-01

Populations of the Eastern subterranean termite, "Reticulitermes flavipes," are widespread throughout most of the eastern United States. Subterranean termites have the ability to survive flooding conditions by lowering their metabolism. This lesson investigates the connection between the ability of termites to lower their metabolism to…

Managing Eastern Redceder

Treesearch

E.R. Ferguson; E.R. Lawson; W.R. Maple; C. Mesavage

1968-01-01

Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) is the most widely distributed conifer of tree size in the Eastern United States (48). Its range also extends into southeastern Canada. The wood was once favored for domestic use and export because of its exceptional cutting qualities, durability, rich color, and aroma. It has now lost much of its...

Stylet bundle morphology and trophically related enzymes of the hemlock woolly adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae)

Treesearch

Kelly L.F. Oten; Allen C. Cohen; Fred P. Hain

2014-01-01

The hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), is a pest of eastern and Carolina hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriere and Tsuga caroliniana Engelmann, respectively) in the eastern United States and has already caused catastrophic changes to eastern forests. As one of the significant...

Anatomy of an ancient subduction interface at 40 km depth: Insights from P-T-t-d data, and geodynamic implications (Dent Blanche, Western Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angiboust, Samuel; Glodny, Johannes; Oncken, Onno; Chopin, Christian

2014-05-01

An exhumed metamorphic suture zone over 40 km long is exposed in the Dent Blanche Region of the Western Alps belt, along the Swiss-Italian border. In this region, the metasediment-bearing ophiolitic remnants of the Liguro-Piemontese ocean (Tsaté complex) are overthrusted by a continental, km-sized complex (Dent Blanche Tectonic System: DBTS) of Austro-Alpine affinity. The DBTS represents a strongly deformed composite terrane with independent tectonic slices of continental and oceanic origin. In order to better understand the nature and the geodynamic meaning of the shear zone at the base of the DBTS (Dent Blanche Thrust, DBT) we re-evaluated the pressure-temperature-time-deformation (P-T-t-d) history of these two units using modern thermobarometric tools, Rb/Sr deformation ages and field relationships. Our results show that the Tsaté complex is formed by a stack of km-thick calcschists-bearing tectonic slices, having experienced variable maximum burial temperatures of between 360°C and 490°C at depths of ca. 25-40 km, between 41 Ma and 37 Ma. The Arolla gneissic mylonites constituting the base of the DBTS experienced a continuous record of protracted high-pressure (12-14 kbar), top-to-NW D1 deformation at 450-500°C between 43 and 55 Ma. Some of these primary, peak metamorphic fabrics have been sheared (top-to-SE D2) and backfolded during exhumation and collisional overprint (20 km depth, 35-40 Ma) leading to the regional greenschist facies retrogression particularly prominent within Tsaté metasediments. The final juxtaposition of the DBTS with the Tsaté complex occurred between 350 and 500°C during this later, exhumation-related D2 event. Although some exhumation-related deformation partially reworked D1 primary features, we emphasize that the DBT can be viewed as a remnant of the Alpine early Eocene blueschist-facies subduction interface region. The DBT therefore constitutes the deeper equivalent of some shallower portions of the Alpine subduction interface exposed 200 km eastwards in eastern Switzerland (e.g. Bachmann et al., 2009). Our results shed light on deep (25-45 km) subduction zone structures and dynamics and are therefore of major interest for geophysical studies imaging the plate interface region in active subduction zones.

Novel insights into FAS defects underlying autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome revealed by studies in consanguineous patients.

PubMed

Ben-Mustapha, Imen; Agrebi, Nourhen; Barbouche, Mohamed-Ridha

2018-03-01

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a primary immunodeficiency disease due to impaired Fas-Fas ligand apoptotic pathway. It is characterized by chronic nonmalignant, noninfectious lymphadenopathy and/or splenomegaly associated with autoimmune manifestations primarily directed against blood cells. Herein, we review the heterogeneous ALPS molecular bases and discuss recent findings revealed by the study of consanguineous patients. Indeed, this peculiar genetic background favored the identification of a novel form of AR ALPS-FAS associated with normal or residual protein expression, expanding the spectrum of ALPS types. In addition, rare mutational mechanisms underlying the splicing defects of FAS exon 6 have been identified in AR ALPS-FAS with lack of protein expression. These findings will help decipher critical regions required for the tight regulation of FAS exon 6 splicing. We also discuss the genotype-phenotype correlation and disease severity in AR ALPS-FAS. Altogether, the study of ALPS molecular bases in endogamous populations helps to better classify the disease subgroups and to unravel the Fas pathway functioning. ©2017 Society for Leukocyte Biology.

Osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines from patients with differing serum alkaline phosphatase concentrations display minimal differences in gene expression patterns

PubMed Central

de Sá Rodrigues, L. C.; Holmes, K. E.; Thompson, V.; Piskun, C. M.; Lana, S. E.; Newton, M. A.; Stein, T. J.

2016-01-01

Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentration is a prognostic factor for osteosarcoma in multiple studies, although its biological significance remains incompletely understood. To determine whether gene expression patterns differed in osteosarcoma from patients with differing serum ALP concentrations, microarray analysis was performed on 18 primary osteosarcoma samples and six osteosarcoma cell lines from dogs with normal and increased serum ALP concentration. No differences in gene expression patterns were noted between tumours or cell lines with differing serum ALP concentration using a gene-specific two-sample t-test. Using a more sensitive empirical Bayes procedure, defective in cullin neddylation 1 domain containing 1 (DCUN1D1) was increased in both the tissue and cell lines of the normal ALP group. Using quantitative PCR (qPCR), differences in DCUN1D1 expression between the two groups failed to reach significance. The homogeneity of gene expression patterns of osteosarcoma associated differing serum ALP concentrations are consistent with previous studies suggesting serum ALP concentration is not associated with intrinsic differences of osteosarcoma cells. PMID:25643733

Evaluation of chestnut test plantings in the Eastern United States

Treesearch

Frederick H. Berry

1980-01-01

Between 1947 and 1955, 15 plots were established in the Eastern United States to evaluate chestnut hybrids under forest conditions. During the 1978 field season these test plots were reassessed and all living chestnut trees critically examined. Ten percent of the 250 surviving hybrid chestnuts were blight resistant, and had the timber form and rapid growth of the...

Projecting wildfire area burned in the south-eastern United States, 2011-60

Treesearch

Jeffrey P. Prestemon; Uma Shankar; Aijun Xiu; K. Talgo; D. Yang; Ernest Dixon; Donald McKenzie; Karen L. Abt

2016-01-01

Future changes in society and climate are expected to affect wildfire activity in the south-eastern United States. The objective of this research was to understand how changes in both climate and society may affect wildfire in the coming decades.We estimated a three-stage statistical model of wildfire area burned by ecoregion province for lightning and human causes (...

An Assessment of Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida L.) Decline in the Eastern United States

Treesearch

Christopher M. Oswalt; Sonja N. Oswalt; Christopher W. Woodall

2012-01-01

Cornus florida L. is one of the most numerous tree species in the Eastern United States (US). Multiple studies have reported localized declines in C. florida populations following the introduction of the destructive fungus Discula destructiva Redlin (dogwood anthracnose), but few, if any, have documented changes in C. florida populations across the species’ entire...

Curve numbers for nine mountainous eastern United States watersheds: seasonal variation and forest cutting

Treesearch

Negussie H. Tedela; Steven C. McCutcheon; John L. Campbell; Wayne T. Swank; Mary Beth Adams; Todd C. Rasmussen

2012-01-01

Many engineers and hydrologists use the curve number method to estimate runoff from ungaged watersheds; however, the method does not explicitly account for the influence of season or forest cutting on runoff. This study of observed rainfall and runoff for small, forested watersheds that span the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States showed that curve...

Efficiencies of forestry best management practices for reducing sediment and nutrient losses in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Pamela Edwards; Karl W.J. Williard

2010-01-01

Quantifying the effects of forestry best management practices (BMPs) on sediment and nutrient loads is a critical need. Through an exhaustive literature search, three paired forested watershed studies in the eastern United States were found that permitted the calculation of BMP efficiencies--the percent reduction in sediment or nutrients achieved by BMPs. For sediment...

Life-Cycle Inventory of Manufacturing Prefinished Engineered Wood Flooring in the Eastern United States

Treesearch

Richard D. Bergman; Scott A. Bowe

2010-01-01

Building products have come under increased scrutiny because of environmental impacts from their manufacturing. However, environmental impacts of manufacturing some wood products—such as prefinished engineered wood flooring—have not been determined. This study examined prefinished engineered wood flooring in the eastern United States following the life-cycle inventory...

The Challenges Faced by Eastern European Students within a 16-19 Education Setting in the United Kingdom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Babalola, Shade

2015-01-01

To examine the challenges encountered by Eastern European students within a sixth form college in the United Kingdom. This paper aims to consider the difficulties encountered by this particular ethnic group examining the impact the challenges may have on their performance, success and achievement. This paper will also highlight equality and…

Multi-scalar influence of weather and climate on very large-fires in the Eastern United States

Treesearch

John T. Abatzoglou; Renaud Barbero; Crystal A. Kolden; Katherine C. Hegewisch; Narasimhan K. Larkin; Harry Podschwit

2014-01-01

A majority of area burned in the Eastern United States (EUS) results from a limited number of exceptionally large wildfires. Relationships between climatic conditions and the occurrence of very large-fires (VLF) in the EUS were examined using composite and climate-niche analyses that consider atmospheric factors across inter-annual, sub-seasonal and synoptic temporal...

Height and diameter variation in twelve white ash provenance/progeny tests in eastern United States

Treesearch

G. Rink; F.H. Kung

1991-01-01

Results from 12- and 13-year old rangewide provenance/progeny tests of white ash (Fraxinus americana L.) planted at 12 locations throughout the eastern United States are reported. Although heritability of white ash tree height and dbh is high at both the provenance and family levels, the trend in variance components is for increasing provenance and...

Tree shelters and other methods for reducing deer damage to hardwood regeneration in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Gary W. Miller

1998-01-01

This report summarizes the basic silvicultural problems associated with regenerating commercial hardwood (broadleaf) species in the eastern United States and includes a review of current methods used to reduce the impact of deer browsing. The following topics are discussed: 1) the biological requirements and regeneration mechanism associated with several important tree...

A Dichotomous Key to Tree Cones and Fruits of the Eastern United States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Linda T.

1991-01-01

The author presents a dichotomous key to 29 tree cones, fruits, and nuts of eastern United States. Students can use the key to identify at least 10 species in a 1-hour laboratory assignment. This key uses reproductive structures that are significantly different from others. These structures are durable enough to be used in the laboratory for many…

Effects of stand and inter-specific stocking on maximizing standing tree carbon stocks in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Christopher W. Woodall; Anthony W. D' Amato; John B. Bradford; Andrew O. Finley

2011-01-01

There is expanding interest in management strategies that maximize forest carbon (C) storage to mitigate increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. The tremendous tree species diversity and range of stand stocking found across the eastern United States presents a challenge for determining optimal combinations for the maximization of standing tree C storage. Using a...

An indicator of tree migration in forests of the eastern United States

Treesearch

C.W. Woodall; C.M. Oswalt; J.A. Westfall; C.H. Perry; M.D. Nelson; A.O. Finley

2009-01-01

Changes in tree species distributions are a potential impact of climate change on forest ecosystems. The examination of tree species shifts in forests of the eastern United States largely has been limited to simulation activities due to a lack of consistent, long-term forest inventory datasets. The goal of this study was to compare current geographic distributions of...

Transcontinental wilderness survey: comparing perceptions between wilderness users in the eastern and western United States

Treesearch

Nicholas Palso; Alan Graefe

2008-01-01

This study explores the differences in perceptions of wilderness between recreationists in the Eastern United States and those from the West, with a focus on definitions of wilderness areas and factors that may decrease enjoyment of the wilderness experience. The few studies performed on this comparison over the past 25 years have produced inconsistent results and...

Atlas of current and potential future distributions of common trees of the eastern United States

Treesearch

Louis R. Iverson; Anantha M. Prasad; Betsy J. Hale; Elaine Kennedy Sutherland

1999-01-01

This atlas documents the current and possible future distribution of 80 common tree species in the Eastern United States and gives detailed information on environmental characteristics defining these distributions. Also included are outlines of life history characteristics and summary statistics for these species. Much of the data are derived from Forest Inventory and...

Attributes of down woody materials in hardwood forests of the Eastern United States

Treesearch

Christopher W. Woodall; Sonja N. Oswalt; Randall S. Morin

2007-01-01

The Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA) of the USDA Forest Service conducts a national inventory of down woody materials (DWM) on forestland in the United States. Estimates of DWM for inventory plots occurring in eastern U.S. hardwood forests facilitate large-scale assessment of hardwood forest fuel loadings and wildlife habitat. Therefore, the objectives of...

The supply and demand situation for oak timber

Treesearch

Kenneth L. Quigley

1971-01-01

Twenty oak species in the eastern United States account for one-third of the hardwood sawtimber volume and almost 10 percent of both hardwood and softwood growing-stock volume. The oak-hickory and oak-pine forest types occupy about 38 percent of the forest land in the eastern United States. Oak timber volume is increasing. Annual growth exceeds annual removals by about...

A Development Testbed for ALPS-Based Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-10-01

alloted to tile application because of size or power constraints). Given an underlying support ALPS architecture such as the d-ALPS architecture, a...resource on which it is assigned at runtime. A second representation problem is that most graph analysis algorithms treat either graphs with weighted links...subtask) associated with it but is treated like other links. In d-ALPS, as a priority precedence link, it would cause the binding of a pro- cessor: as a

Purification of barley dimeric α-amylase inhibitor-1 (BDAI-1) and avenin-like protein-a (ALP) from beer and their impact on beer foam stability.

PubMed

Iimure, Takashi; Kihara, Makoto; Sato, Kazuhiro; Ogushi, Kensuke

2015-04-01

Foam stability is a key factor of beer quality for consumers and brewers. Recent beer proteome analyses have suggested that barley dimeric α-amylase inhibitor-1 (BDAI-1) and avenin-like protein-a (ALP) derived from barley are important for beer foam stability. In this study, BDAI-1 and ALP were purified from a Japanese commercial beer sample using salt precipitation and column chromatography. The purification level was verified using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and database searches. Purified BDAI-1 and ALP were added to a beer sample to compare the foam stability to that of a control beer sample. As a result, beer foam stability was significantly improved by BDAI-1 but not by ALP, thereby suggesting that BDAI-1 affects beer foam stability whereas ALP does not. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quenching of graphene quantum dots fluorescence by alkaline phosphatase activity in the presence of hydroquinone diphosphate.

PubMed

Pereira da Silva Neves, Marta Maria; González-García, María Begoña; Pérez-Junquera, Alejandro; Hernández-Santos, David; Fanjul-Bolado, Pablo

2018-05-01

In this work, a turn-off photoluminescent sensing proof-of-concept based on blue luminescent graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as the fluorescent probe was developed. For that purpose, GQDs optical response was related with the catalytic enzymatic activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), in the presence of hydroquinone diphosphate (HQDP). The hydrolysis of HQDP by ALP generated hydroquinone (HQ). The oxidation of HQ, enzymatically produced, to p-benzoquinone (BQ) resulted in the quenching of GQDs fluorescence (FL). Therefore, the developed luminescent sensing mechanism allowed the FL quenching with ALP activity to be related and thus quantified the concentration of ALP down to 0.5 nM of enzyme. This innovative design principle appears as a promising tool for the development of enzymatic sensors based on ALP labeling with fluorescent detection or even for direct ALP luminescent quantification in an easy, fast and sensitive manner. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Kinematics of syn- and post-exhumational shear zones at Lago di Cignana (Western Alps, Italy): constraints on the exhumation of Zermatt-Saas (ultra)high-pressure rocks and deformation along the Combin Fault and Dent Blanche Basal Thrust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirst, Frederik; Leiss, Bernd

2017-01-01

Kinematic analyses of shear zones at Lago di Cignana in the Italian Western Alps were used to constrain the structural evolution of units from the Piemont-Ligurian oceanic realm (Zermatt-Saas and Combin zones) and the Adriatic continental margin (Dent Blanche nappe) during Palaeogene syn- and post-exhumational deformation. Exhumation of Zermatt-Saas (U)HP rocks to approximately lower crustal levels at ca. 39 Ma occurred during normal-sense top-(S)E shearing under epidote-amphibolite-facies conditions. Juxtaposition with the overlying Combin zone along the Combin Fault at mid-crustal levels occurred during greenschist-facies normal-sense top-SE shearing at ca. 38 Ma. The scarcity of top-SE kinematic indicators in the hanging wall of the Combin Fault probably resulted from strain localization along the uppermost Zermatt-Saas zone and obliteration by subsequent deformation. A phase of dominant pure shear deformation around 35 Ma affected units in the direct footwall and hanging wall of the Combin Fault. It is interpreted to reflect NW-SE crustal elongation during updoming of the nappe stack as a result of underthrusting of European continental margin units and the onset of continental collision. This phase was partly accompanied and followed by ductile bulk top-NW shearing, especially at higher structural levels, which transitioned into semi-ductile to brittle normal-sense top-NW deformation due to Vanzone phase folding from ca. 32 Ma onwards. Our structural observations suggest that syn-exhumational deformation is partly preserved within units and shear zones exposed at Lago di Cignana but also that the Combin Fault and Dent Blanche Basal Thrust experienced significant post-exhumational deformation reworking and overprinting earlier structures.

3D modelling of the Austroalpine-Penninic collisional wedge of the NW Alps: dataset management and preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monopoli, Bruno; Bistacchi, Andrea; Bertolo, Davide; Dal Piaz, Giovanni; Gouffon, Yves; Massironi, Matteo; Sartori, Mario; Vittorio Dal Piaz, Giorgio

2016-04-01

We know since the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to mapping and structural studies by the Italian Regio Servizio Geologico (Franchi et al., 1908) and Argand's work (1909; 1911; 1916), that the Austroalpine-Penninic collisional wedge of the NW Alps is spectacularly exposed across the Aosta Valley and Valais ranges (Italy and Switzerland). In the 150th anniversary of the first ascent to Ruskin's "most noble cliff in Europe" - the Cervino/Matterhorn (Whymper, July 14th 1865), first described in a geological profile by Giordano (1869) and in a detailed map by Gerlach (1869; 1871), we have seen the conclusion of very detailed mapping projects carried out in the last years over the two regions, with collaborative efforts across the Italy-Switzerland border, constellated by 4000 m-high peaks. These projects have pictured with an unprecedented detail (up to 1:10.000 scale) the geology of this complex region, resulting from pre-Alpine events, Alpine subduction- and collision-related ductile deformations, and finally late-Alpine brittle deformations from the Oligocene to the Present. Based on this dataset, we use up-to-date technology and software to undertake a 3D modelling study aimed at: i) reconstructing the 3D geometry of the principal tectonic units, ii) detecting and unravelling problems and incongruences in the 2D geometrical models, iii) modelling the kinematics of the Oligocene and Miocene brittle fault network using 2D and 3D balancing and palinspastic restoration techniques. In this contribution we mainly discuss the prerequisites of the project. Common geomodelling paradigms (mainly developed for the hydrocarbon industry) cannot be applied in this project due to (i) the little scale, (ii) the source of the data - fieldwork, and (iii) the polyphase ductile and brittle deformations in the metamorphic nappe stack. Our goals at the moment are to model the post-metamorphic fault network and the boundaries of the principal tectonic units, which will be considered as a sort of pseudo-stratigraphy, since they are the oldest feature that can be traced continuously at the map scale. For this reason we have developed a set of attributes identifying the tectonic and lithological units (a "legend"), implemented both in the GIS database and in the 3D models, which at the same time is compatible with the data structure of 3D modelling packages like Move and Skua/Gocad, and allows tracing the complex hierarchic classification of the units mapped in the GIS. This allows for the almost automatic and consistent two-way transfer of data between the GIS and geomodelling environments. E.g. results of 3D modelling, which is based on input data originally stored in the GIS, will eventually be transferred back to the GIS. The results of this study, which are preliminarily presented here, will open new opportunities to study the collision- and subduction-related nappe architecture and kinematics with younger deformations removed, and will eventually lead (with additional studies) to a step-by-step retrodeformation supported by modern technologies, following the path traced by Argand at the beginning of the 20th century. Argand E. 1909. L'exploration géologique des Alpes pennines centrales. Bull. Soc. Vaudoise Sci. Nat., 45, 217-276. Argand A. 1911. Les nappes de recouvrement des Alpes pennines et leurs prolongements structuraux. Mat. Carte Géol. Suisse, 31, 25. Argand A. 1916. Sur l'arc des Alpes occidentales. Eclogae Geol. Helv., 14, 145-191. Franchi S., Mattirolo E., Novarese V., Stella A. & Zaccagna D. 1908. Carta geologica delle Alpi Occidentali alla scala 1:400.000. Regio Ufficio Geologico, Roma. Gerlach H. 1869. Die Penninischen Alpen. N. Denkschr. Schweiz. Natf. Ges., 23, 132. Gerlach H. 1871. Das Suedwestliche Wallis. Beitraege Geol. Karte Schweiz, 9, 175. Giordano F. 1869. Sulla orografia e sulla geologica costituzione del Gran Cervino. Atti R. Acc. Sci. Torino, 4, 304-321.

Naloxone decreases the inhibitory effect of alprazolam on the release of adrenocorticotropin/cortisol induced by physical exercise in man.

PubMed

Coiro, Vittorio; Volpi, Riccardo; Casti, Amos; Maffei, Maria Ludovica; Stella, Adriano; Volta, Elio; Chiodera, Paolo

2011-06-01

• Alprazolam (ALP), a benzodiazepine activating GABAergic receptors, is involved in ACTH secretion. • This study demonstrates a partial opioid influence in the inhibitory effect of ALP on the release of ACTH/cortisol during physical exercise. To establish the possible involvement of alprazolam (ALP) and/or opiates in the mechanism underlying the ACTH/cortisol response to physical exercise. Tests were carried out under basal conditions (exercise control test), exercise plus ALP (50 µg at time -90 min), naloxone (10 mg at time 0) or ALP plus naloxone. Plasma ACTH and serum cortisol concentrations were evaluated in blood samples taken before, during and after the bicycle ergometer tests. ACTH and cortisol concentrations rose significantly after physical exercise. Maximum peak at time 15 min (P ≤ 0.01 vs. baseline) for ACTH and at time 30 min (P ≤ 0.01 vs. baseline) for cortisol. In the presence of naloxone, the ACTH and cortisol responses were significantly increased (maximum peak at time 20 min, P ≤ 0.02 vs. control test for ACTH, and at time 30 min (P ≤ 0.01 vs. baseline) for cortisol) whereas they were abolished by ALP. When ALP and naloxone were given together, the inhibitory effect of ALP was partial. These data demonstrate an inhibitory effect of ALP in the regulation of the ACTH/cortisol response to physical exercise in man and suggest that GABAergic receptor activating benzodiazepines and opioids interact in the neuroendocrine secretion of ACTH/cortisol. © 2011 The Authors. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology © 2011 The British Pharmacological Society.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Daido, Ryuji; Takahashi, Fuminobu; Yin, Wen, E-mail: daido@tuhep.phys.tohoku.ac.jp, E-mail: fumi@tuhep.phys.tohoku.ac.jp, E-mail: wyin@ihep.ac.cn

We propose a scenario where both inflation and dark matter are described by a single axion-like particle (ALP) in a unified manner. In a class of the minimal axion hilltop inflation, the effective masses at the maximum and mimimum of the potential have equal magnitude but opposite sign, so that the ALP inflaton is light both during inflation and in the true vacuum. After inflation, most of the ALPs decay and evaporate into plasma through a coupling to photons, and the remaining ones become dark matter. We find that the observed CMB and matter power spectrum as well as themore » dark matter abundance point to an ALP of mass m {sub φ} = O(0.01) eV and the axion-photon coupling g {sub φ} {sub γ} {sub γ} = O(10{sup −11}) GeV{sup −1}: the ALP miracle . The suggested parameter region is within the reach of the next generation axion helioscope, IAXO, and high-intensity laser experiments in the future. Furthermore, thermalized ALPs contribute to hot dark matter and its abundance is given in terms of the effective number of extra neutrino species, Δ N {sub eff} ≅ 0.03, which can be tested by the future CMB and BAO observations. We also discuss a case with multiple ALPs, where the coupling to photons can be enhanced in the early Universe by an order of magnitude or more, which enlarges the parameter space for the ALP miracle. The heavy ALP plays a role of the waterfall field in hybrid inflation, and reheats the Universe, and it can be searched for in various experiments such as SHiP.« less

Some concepts of favorability for world-class-type uranium deposits in the northeastern United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adler, H.H.

1981-03-01

An account is given of concepts of favorability of geologic environments in the eastern United States for uranium deposits of several major types existing elsewhere in the world. The purpose is to convey some initial ideas about the interrelationships of the geology of the eastern United States and the geologic settings of certain of these world-class deposits. The study and report include consideration of uranium deposits other than those generally manifesting the geologic, geochemical and genetic characteristics associated with the conventional sandstone-type ores of the western United States.

Estimating the impact of the 2004 Alaskan forest fires on episodic particulate matter pollution over the eastern United States through assimilation of satellite-derived aerosol optical depths in a regional air quality model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathur, Rohit

2008-09-01

During the summer of 2004, extensive wildfires burned in Alaska and western Canada; the fires were the largest on record for Alaska. Smoke from these fires was observed over the continental United States in satellite images, and a variety of chemical tracers associated with the fires were sampled by aircrafts deployed during the International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation field experiment. Several recent studies have quantified the impacts of the long-range transport of pollution associated with these fires on tropospheric CO and O3 levels over the eastern United States. This study quantifies the episodic impact of this pollution transport event on surface-level fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations over the eastern United States during mid-July 2004, through the complementary use of remotely sensed, aloft, and surface measurements, in conjunction with a comprehensive regional atmospheric chemistry-transport model. A methodology is developed to assimilate MODIS aerosol optical depths in the model to represent the impacts of the fires. The resultant model predictions of CO and PM2.5 distributions are compared extensively with corresponding surface and aloft measurements. On the basis of the model calculations, a 0.12Tg enhancement in tropospheric PM2.5 mass loading over the eastern United States is estimated on 19 July 2004 due to the fires. This amount is significantly larger (approximately a factor of 8) than the total daily anthropogenic fine particulate matter emissions for the continental United States. Analysis of measured and modeled PM2.5 surface-level concentrations suggests that the transport of particulate matter pollution associated with the fires resulted in a 24-42 % enhancement in median surface-level PM2.5 concentrations across the eastern United States during 19-23 July 2004.

Is the Mantle-Crust Transition in the Finero Complex (southern Alps) a Fossil Continental Moho?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanetti, A.; Langone, A.; Tommasi, A.; Vauchez, A.; Padron-Navarta, J. A.; Giovanardi, T.; Mazzucchelli, M.

2017-12-01

The geophysical studies indicate that the mantle-continental crust discontinuity is usually the site of complex intercalations of rocks having different physical and chemical properties. The possibility to directly characterize such rocks is extremely limited, because very few fossil continental Moho discontinuities crop out: in addition, most of them are considered to be representative of island arc environments. To address this issue, a comprehensive investigation has been carried out in the Finero Complex (Ivrea-Verbano Zone; Southern Alps), where the Phlogopite Peridotite (PP) mantle unit is surrounded by mafic-ultramafic rocks interpreted as intrusive crustal bodies. The crustal unit placed in contact with the PP is the Layered Internal Zone (LIZ), which is overlaid by the Amphibole Peridotite unit. At the contact with LIZ, the typical phlogopite-amphibole-harzburgite forming the PP unit is replaced by a weakly-deformed amphibole-biotite-bearing orthopyroxenite layer. Orthopyroxenite amphibole shows the typical LILE and LREE enrichments and the HFSE and HREE depletion observed in the rest of the mantle unit. This suggests that orthopyroxenite was segregated during the pervasive metasomatic event characterising the PP unit. The LIZ is formed by hornblendites, amphibole-garnet gabbros, pyroxenites and garnet hornblendites. The Amphibole Peridotite unit consists of peridotites, hornblendites and pyroxenites. In the LIZ, the melt intrusion locally involved the assimilation of early gabbroic cumulates, and the segregation of garnet hornblendites by substitution of pyroxenites. In the Amphibole Peridotite, late porous-flow melt migration produced secondary recrystallisation fronts, associated to the development of trace element gradients due to ion-exchange processes. Our observations suggest that the transition between PP and LIZ is primary. The LIZ and Amphibole Peridotite units record multiple events of migration of melt, whose composition varied from LREE-depleted to extremely LREE-enriched. The large variety of rocks, geochemical signatures and petrologic processes recorded by the studied mantle-crust transition evidences as it worked for a very long time as a primary lithospheric discontinuity, representing a preferential level of channelling for the uprising melts.

Phylogeography of Trichuris populations isolated from different Cricetidae rodents.

PubMed

Callejón, Rocío; De Rojas, Manuel; Feliú, Carlos; Balao, Francisco; Marrugal, Angela; Henttonen, Heikki; Guevara, Diego; Cutillas, Cristina

2012-11-01

The phylogeography of Trichuris populations (Nematoda) collected from Cricetidae rodents (Muroidea) from different geographical regions was studied. Ribosomal DNA (Internal Transcribed Spacers 1 and 2, and mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome c- oxidase subunit 1 partial gene) have been used as molecular markers. The nuclear internal transcribed spacers (ITSs) 1 and 2 showed 2 clear-cut geographical and genetic lineages: one of the Nearctic region (Oregon), although the second was widespread throughout the Palaearctic region and appeared as a star-like structure in the minimum spanning network. The mitochondrial results revealed that T. arvicolae populations from the Palaearctic region were separated into 3 clear-cut geographical and genetic lineages: populations from Northern Europe, populations from Southern (Spain) and Eastern Europe (Croatia, Belarus, Kazahstan), and populations from Italy and France (Eastern Pyrénean Mountains). Phylogenetic analysis obtained on the basis of ITS1-5·8S-ITS2 rDNA sequences did not show a differential geographical structure; however, these markers suggest a new Trichuris species parasitizing Chionomys roberti and Cricetulus barabensis. The mitochondrial results revealed that Trichuris populations from arvicolinae rodents show signals of a post-glacial northward population expansion starting from the Pyrenees and Italy. Apparently, the Pyrenees and the Alps were not barriers to the dispersal of Trichuris populations.

Positioning the red deer (Cervus elaphus) hunted by the Tyrolean Iceman into a mitochondrial DNA phylogeny.

PubMed

Olivieri, Cristina; Marota, Isolina; Rizzi, Ermanno; Ermini, Luca; Fusco, Letizia; Pietrelli, Alessandro; De Bellis, Gianluca; Rollo, Franco; Luciani, Stefania

2014-01-01

In the last years several phylogeographic studies of both extant and extinct red deer populations have been conducted. Three distinct mitochondrial lineages (western, eastern and North-African/Sardinian) have been identified reflecting different glacial refugia and postglacial recolonisation processes. However, little is known about the genetics of the Alpine populations and no mitochondrial DNA sequences from Alpine archaeological specimens are available. Here we provide the first mitochondrial sequences of an Alpine Copper Age Cervus elaphus. DNA was extracted from hair shafts which were part of the remains of the clothes of the glacier mummy known as the Tyrolean Iceman or Ötzi (5,350-5,100 years before present). A 2,297 base pairs long fragment was sequenced using a mixed sequencing procedure based on PCR amplifications and 454 sequencing of pooled amplification products. We analyzed the phylogenetic relationships of the Alpine Copper Age red deer's haplotype with haplotypes of modern and ancient European red deer. The phylogenetic analyses showed that the haplotype of the Alpine Copper Age red deer falls within the western European mitochondrial lineage in contrast with the current populations from the Italian Alps belonging to the eastern lineage. We also discussed the phylogenetic relationships of the Alpine Copper Age red deer with the populations from Mesola Wood (northern Italy) and Sardinia.

Y-STR variation among Slavs: evidence for the Slavic homeland in the middle Dnieper basin.

PubMed

Rebała, Krzysztof; Mikulich, Alexei I; Tsybovsky, Iosif S; Siváková, Daniela; Dzupinková, Zuzana; Szczerkowska-Dobosz, Aneta; Szczerkowska, Zofia

2007-01-01

A set of 18 Y-chromosomal microsatellite loci was analysed in 568 males from Poland, Slovakia and three regions of Belarus. The results were compared to data available for 2,937 Y chromosome samples from 20 other Slavic populations. Lack of relationship between linguistic, geographic and historical relations between Slavic populations and Y-short tandem repeat (STR) haplotype distribution was observed. Two genetically distant groups of Slavic populations were revealed: one encompassing all Western-Slavic, Eastern-Slavic, and two Southern-Slavic populations, and one encompassing all remaining Southern Slavs. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) based on Y-chromosomal STRs showed that the variation observed between the two population groups was 4.3%, and was higher than the level of genetic variance among populations within the groups (1.2%). Homogeneity of northern Slavic paternal lineages in Europe was shown to stretch from the Alps to the upper Volga and involve ethnicities speaking completely different branches of Slavic languages. The central position of the population of Ukraine in the network of insignificant AMOVA comparisons, and the lack of traces of significant contribution of ancient tribes inhabiting present-day Poland to the gene pool of Eastern and Southern Slavs, support hypothesis placing the earliest known homeland of Slavs in the middle Dnieper basin.

Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome-FAS Patients Have an Abnormal Regulatory T Cell (Treg) Phenotype but Display Normal Natural Treg-Suppressive Function on T Cell Proliferation.

PubMed

Mazerolles, Fabienne; Stolzenberg, Marie-Claude; Pelle, Olivier; Picard, Capucine; Neven, Benedicte; Fischer, Alain; Magerus-Chatinet, Aude; Rieux-Laucat, Frederic

2018-01-01

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) with FAS mutation (ALPS-FAS) is a nonmalignant, noninfectious, lymphoproliferative disease with autoimmunity. Given the central role of natural regulatory T cells (nTregs) in the control of lymphoproliferation and autoimmunity, we assessed nTreg-suppressive function in 16 patients with ALPS-FAS. The proportion of CD25 high CD127 low Tregs was lower in ALPS-FAS patients than in healthy controls. This subset was correlated with a reduced CD25 expression in CD3 + CD4 + T cells from ALPS patients and thus an abnormally low proportion of CD25 high FOXP3 + Helios + T cells. The ALPS patients also displayed a high proportion of naïve Treg (FOXP3 low CD45RA + ) and an unusual subpopulation (CD4 + CD127 low CD15s + CD45RA + ). Despite this abnormal phenotype, the CD25 high CD127 low Tregs' suppressive function was unaffected. Furthermore, conventional T cells from FAS -mutated patients showed normal levels of sensitivity to Treg suppression. An abnormal Treg phenotype is observed in circulating lymphocytes of ALPS patients. However, these Tregs displayed a normal suppressive function on T effector proliferation in vitro . This is suggesting that lymphoproliferation observed in ALPS patients does not result from Tregs functional defect or T effector cells insensitivity to Tregs suppression.

Changes of serum alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes in fasted rats.

PubMed

Wada, H; Niwa, N; Hayakawa, T; Tsuge, H

1996-10-01

Changes of serum alkaline phosphatase (sALP) isoenzymes under fasting conditions were examined using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), amino-acids (L-phenylalanine (L-Phe), L-homoarginine (L-HArg)) inhibition and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) treatment. The sALP of non-fasted rats was separated into three bands (S1, S2, S3) by PAGE. The molecular weight (M.W.) of S1 corresponded to that of an isoenzyme found in the ileum. By the addition of L-Phe, the staining intensity of S1 was weakened, S2 and S3 remained unchanged and the total activity of the isoenzymes extracted from intestine decreased. On the other hand, the activity of isoenzymes extracted from kidney and bone decreased by the addition of L-HArg. Therefore, S1 was judged to be derived from intestine. The activities of total sALP and S1 decreased from 16 h of fasting. Total sALP activity and sALP activity of the supernatant prepared by WGA treatment decreased, whereas the ALP activity of the precipitate (difference between total sALP activity and supernatant sALP activity) did not change. The activity band of the precipitate corresponded to that of S3 by PAGE. Therefore, S3 was judged to be derived from bone. In conclusion, under fasting conditions, the activity of S1 decreased while the activities of S2 and S3 remained unchanged.

Ustekinumab for patients with primary biliary cholangitis who have an inadequate response to ursodeoxycholic acid: A proof-of-concept study.

PubMed

Hirschfield, Gideon M; Gershwin, M Eric; Strauss, Richard; Mayo, Marlyn J; Levy, Cynthia; Zou, Bin; Johanns, Jewel; Nnane, Ivo P; Dasgupta, Bidisha; Li, Katherine; Selmi, Carlo; Marschall, Hanns-Ulrich; Jones, David; Lindor, Keith

2016-07-01

The interleukin (IL)-12 signaling cascade has been associated with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). This multicenter, open-label, proof-of-concept study evaluated the anti-IL12/23 monoclonal antibody, ustekinumab (90 mg subcutaneous at weeks 0 and 4, then every 8 weeks through week 20), in adults with PBC and an inadequate response to ursodeoxycholic acid therapy (i.e., alkaline phosphatase [ALP] >1.67× upper limit of normal [ULN] after ≥6 months). ALP response was defined as a >40% decrease from baseline and ALP remission as ALP normalization (if baseline ALP 1.67×-2.8× ULN) or <1.67× ULN (if baseline ALP >2.8× ULN). Changes in Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) scores and serum bile acids were also assessed. At baseline, patients had median disease duration of 3.2 years, median ELF score of 9.8, and highly elevated total bile acid concentration (median, 43.3 μmol/L); 13 of 20 (65%) patients had baseline ALP >3× ULN. Although steady-state serum ustekinumab concentrations were reached by week 12, no patient achieved ALP response or remission. Median percent ALP reduction from baseline to week 28 was 12.1%. ELF score decreased slightly from baseline to week 28 (median reduction: 0.173), and total serum bile acid concentrations decreased from baseline to week 28 (median reduction: 8.8 μmol/L). No serious infections or discontinuations resulting from adverse events were reported through week 28. One patient had a serious upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage considered unrelated to test agent by the investigator. Open-label ustekinumab therapy, though associated with a modest decrease in ALP after 28 weeks of therapy, did not otherwise appreciably change ALP and overt proof-of-concept was not established as per prespecified primary endpoint of proposed efficacy. No new ustekinumab safety signals were observed. (Hepatology 2016;64:189-199). © 2015 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

49 CFR 71.5 - Boundary line between eastern and central zones.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Boundary line between eastern and central zones... BOUNDARIES § 71.5 Boundary line between eastern and central zones. (a) Minnesota-Michigan-Wisconsin. From the junction of the western boundary of the State of Michigan with the boundary between the United States and...

Eastern and Western Data Sets | Grid Modernization | NREL

Science.gov Websites

and Western Data Sets Eastern and Western Data Sets The Eastern Wind Integration Data Set and Western Wind Integration Data Set were designed to perform wind integration studies and estimate power production from hypothetical wind power plants in the United States. These data sets can help energy

Silvical characteristics of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

Treesearch

Ashbel F. Hough

1960-01-01

The eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.), as its common and scientific names imply, is a native of the eastern United States and adjacent Canada. It is one of the four North American species of this genus. The genus name means "yew-leaved" and is of Japanese origin. In 1763 the species was named Pinus canadensis...

Vegetation and invertebrate community response to eastern hemlock decline in southern new England

Treesearch

Laura L. Ingwell; Mailea Miller-Pierce; R. Talbot Trotter; Evan L. Preisser

2012-01-01

The introduction of Adelges tsugae (Hemlock Woolly Adelgid [HWA]) to the eastern United States has had a devastating impact on Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock). Although much research has been done to assess HWA impacts on ecosystem processes and vegetation structure, few researchers have examined community-level changes in...

Hemlock woolly adelgid: a threat to eastern forests

Treesearch

Nathan P. Havill; Ligia C. Vieira; Scott M. Salom

2014-01-01

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) (Adelges tsugae Annand) is a destructive, non-native pest of forest and ornamental hemlock trees in eastern North America. It was first collected in the eastern United States in 1951 in Richmond, Virginia, arriving sometime earlier directly from southern Japan, probably on live plant material. Other than its new...

Influences of eastern hemlock mortality on nutrient cycling

Treesearch

Thad E. Yorks; Jennifer C. Jenkins; Donald J. Leopold; Dudley J. Raynal; David A. Orwig

2000-01-01

Mortality of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriere) may be caused by a variety of agents, but hemlock trees of all sizes over a large geographic area are currently threatened by an outbreak of the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA: Adelges tsugae Annand) in the eastern United States. In this paper, we review what is currently...

An Investigation of Perceptional Differences between Eastern and Western Adolescents in Online Social Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Robert

2013-01-01

The current study focused on an important issue pertaining to online social communication by investigating perceptional differences between eastern and western adolescents. A total of 309 participants were recruited from three countries: China, Singapore, and the United States. Significant differences were found between eastern and western…

Differences of bone alkaline phosphatase isoforms in metastatic bone disease and discrepant effects of clodronate on different skeletal sites indicated by the location of pain.

PubMed

Magnusson, P; Larsson, L; Englund, G; Larsson, B; Strang, P; Selin-Sjögren, L

1998-08-01

We compared clodronate with placebo administration in 42 primarily or secondarily hormone-refractory prostate cancer patients with skeletal metastases and persisting pain. Serum total alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone ALP isoforms, osteocalcin, cross-linked carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen, and prostate-specific antigen were analyzed before and after 1 month of treatment. Six ALP isoforms were quantified by HPLC: one bone/intestinal, two bone (B1, B2), and three liver ALP isoforms. The most apparent difference compared with healthy males was observed for the bone ALP isoform B2. Patients and healthy males had a B2 activity corresponding to 75% and 35% of the total ALP activity, respectively (P <0.0001). We propose that the different bone ALP isoforms reflect different stages of osteoblast differentiation during the extracellular matrix maturation phase of osteogenesis. All bone markers except osteocalcin increased after 1 month of clodronate administration. These increases were associated with pain only in the upper part of the body. We suggest that the uptake of clodronate by the skeleton was not uniform during our treatment period.

Chemical redox modulated fluorescence of nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots for probing the activity of alkaline phosphatase.

PubMed

Liu, JingJing; Tang, Duosi; Chen, Zhitao; Yan, Xiaomei; Zhong, Zhou; Kang, Longtian; Yao, Jiannian

2017-08-15

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) as an essential enzyme plays an important role in clinical diagnoses and biomedical researches. Hence, the development of convenient and sensitivity assay for monitoring ALP is extremely important. In this work, on the basis of chemical redox strategy to modulate the fluorescence of nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs), a novel label-free fluorescent sensing system for the detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity has been developed. The fluorescence of NGQDs is firstly quenched by ultrathin cobalt oxyhydroxide (CoOOH) nanosheets, and then restored by ascorbic acid (AA), which can reduce CoOOH to Co 2+ , thus the ALP can be monitored based on the enzymatic hydrolysis of L-ascorbic acid-2-phosphate (AAP) by ALP to generate AA. Quantitative evaluation of ALP activity in a range from 0.1 to 5U/L with the detection limit of 0.07U/L can be realized in this sensing system. Endowed with high sensitivity and selectivity, the proposed assay is capable of detecting ALP in biological system with satisfactory results. Meanwhile, this sensing system can be easily extended to the detection of various AA-involved analytes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

ADAM17 limits the expression of CSF1R on murine hematopoietic progenitors

PubMed Central

Becker, Amy M.; Walcheck, Bruce; Bhattacharya, Deepta

2014-01-01

All-lymphoid progenitors (ALPs) yield few myeloid cells in vivo, but readily generate such cells in vitro. The basis for this difference remains unknown. We hypothesized that ALPs limit responsiveness to in vivo concentrations of myeloid-promoting cytokines by reducing expression of the corresponding receptors, potentially through post-transcriptional mechanisms. Consistent with such a mechanism, ALPs express higher levels of Csf1r transcripts than their upstream precursors, yet show limited cell surface protein expression of CSF1R. ALPs and other hematopoietic progenitors deficient in ADAM17, a metalloprotease that can cleave CSF1R, display elevated cell surface CSF1R expression. Adam17−/− ALPs, however, fail to yield myeloid cells upon transplantation into irradiated recipients. Moreover, Adam17−/− ALPs yield fewer macrophages in vitro than control ALPs at high concentrations of M-CSF. Mice with hematopoietic-specific deletion of Adam17 have grossly normal numbers of myeloid and lymphoid progenitors and mature cells in vivo. These data demonstrate that ADAM17 limits CSF1R protein expression on hematopoietic progenitors, but that compensatory mechanisms prevent elevated CSF1R levels from altering lymphoid progenitor potential. PMID:25308957

Age-related Changes in the Alkaline Phosphatase Activity of Healthy and Inflamed Human Dental Pulp.

PubMed

Aslantas, Eda E; Buzoglu, Hatice Dogan; Karapinar, Senem Pinar; Cehreli, Zafer C; Muftuoglu, Sevda; Atilla, Pergin; Aksoy, Yasemin

2016-01-01

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) plays an important role in inducing mineralization events in the dental pulp. This study investigated and compared the ALP levels in healthy and inflamed pulp in young and old human pulp. Tissue samples were collected from young (<30 years) and old (>60 years) donors. In both age groups, healthy human pulp (n = 18) were collected from extracted wisdom teeth. For reversible and irreversible pulpitis, pulp samples (n = 18 each) were obtained during endodontic treatment. ALP activity was assessed by spectrophotometry and immunhistochemistry. Regardless of age, reversible pulpitis group samples showed a slight elevation in ALP activity compared with normal healthy pulp. In elderly patients, ALP expression with irreversible pulpitis was significantly higher than those with a healthy pulp (P < .05). In the hyperemic state, both the young and old pulp shows a slight increase in ALP activity, whereas in irreversible pulpitis, only the old pulp shows significantly elevated ALP levels. Such an increase may trigger calcification events, which may eventually cause difficulties in endodontic treatment procedures in elderly individuals. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity of a fructan from the roots of Arctium lappa L.

PubMed

Liu, Wei; Wang, Jiajia; Zhang, Zhenzhen; Xu, Jinnan; Xie, Zhuohong; Slavin, Margaret; Gao, Xiangdong

2014-04-01

To explore new antioxidant resource from food, a water-soluble polysaccharide (ALP1) was extracted and purified from the roots of Arctium lappa L. (A. lappa L.) through hot water extraction followed by ethanol precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The antioxidant activity of ALP1 was then evaluated in vitro and in vivo. ALP1 was characterized as a fructan composed of fructose and glucose in the ratio of 13.0:1.0, with an average molecular weight of 4600 Da. The linkages in ALP1 were →1)-Fruf-(2→, Fruf-(2→ and Glcp-(1→. In vitro antioxidant assays demonstrated that ALP1 possessed moderate ABTS(+) scavenging activity, strong hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and strong ferrous ion chelating activity. In in vivo antioxidant assays, ALP1 administration significantly enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities and total antioxidant capacity, as well as decreased the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in both the serum and liver of aging mice. These results suggest that ALP1 has potential as a novel natural antioxidant in food industry and pharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Geographic considerations for fire management in the Eastern United States: geomorphology and topography, soils, and climate

Treesearch

Barton D. Clinton; James M. Vose; Erika C. Cohen

2012-01-01

Across the Eastern United States, there is on average an estimated 36 MT ha–1 (16 tons ac–1) of dead woody fuel (Chojnacky and others 2004). Variations in fuel type, size, and flammability make the selection of treatment options critical for effective fuels management. The region is a complex landscape characterized by...

Merger of three modeling approaches to assess potential effects of climate change on trees in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Louis R. Iverson; Anantha M. Prasad; Stephen N. Matthews; Matthew P. Peters

2010-01-01

Climate change will likely cause impacts that are species specific and significant; modeling is critical to better understand potential changes in suitable habitat. We use empirical, abundance-based habitat models utilizing decision tree-based ensemble methods to explore potential changes of 134 tree species habitats in the eastern United States (http://www.nrs.fs.fed....

Projected tree species redistribution under climate change: Implications for ecosystem vulnerability across protected areas in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Scott G. Zolkos; Patrick Jantz; Tina Cormier; Louis R. Iverson; Daniel W. McKenney; Scott J. Goetz

2015-01-01

The degree to which tree species will shift in response to climate change is uncertain yet critical to understand for assessing ecosystem vulnerability. We analyze results from recent studies that model potential tree species habitat across the eastern United States during the coming century. Our goals were to quantify and spatially analyze habitat projections and...

Atlas of climate change effects in 150 bird species of the Eastern United States

Treesearch

Stephen Matthews; Raymond O' Connor; Louis R. Iverson; Anantha M. Prasad

2004-01-01

NOTE: Instructions for navigating this publication can be found on the front cover. This atlas documents the current and potential future distribution of 150 common bird species in the Eastern United States. Distribution data for individual species were derived from the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) from 1981 to 1990. Regression tree analysis was used to model the BBS...

Smoke modeling in support of management of forest landscapes in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Gary L. Achtemeier

2009-01-01

The impact of smoke from forest burning on air quality is a threat to the use of prescribed fire to manage woodlands in the eastern United States. Population shifts from urban centers to the wildland/urban interface have increased human exposures to smoke. Tighter national ambient air quality standards restrict the amount of smoke released over an area. This article...

Evaluation of the CONSUME and FOFEM fuel consumption models in pine and mixed hardwood forests of the eastern United States

Treesearch

Susan J. Prichard; Eva C. Karau; Roger D. Ottmar; Maureen C. Kennedy; James B. Cronan; Clinton S. Wright; Robert E. Keane

2014-01-01

Reliable predictions of fuel consumption are critical in the eastern United States (US), where prescribed burning is frequently applied to forests and air quality is of increasing concern. CONSUME and the First Order Fire Effects Model (FOFEM), predictive models developed to estimate fuel consumption and emissions from wildland fires, have not been systematically...

Comparative analysis of Edwardsiella tarda isolates from fish in the eastern United States suggests the existence of two genetically distinct species, Edwardsiella tarda and Edwardsiella pseudotarda sp. nov

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Edwardsiella tarda, a Gram-negative member of the family Enterobacteriaceae, is often implicated in significant losses in aquaculture facilities worldwide. Here, we assessed the intra-specific variability of a collection of E. tarda isolates from 4 different fish species in the eastern United State...

Crown-Diameter Prediction Models for 87 Species of Stand-Grown Trees in the Eastern United States

Treesearch

William A. Bechtold

2003-01-01

The mean crown diameters of stand-grown trees were modeled as a function of stem diameter, live-crown ratio, stand basal area, latitude, longitude, elevation, and Hopkins bioclimatic index for 87 tree species in the eastern United States. Stem diameter was statistically significant in all models, and a quadratic term for stem diameter was required for some species....

Special forest products in context: gatherers and gathering in the Eastern United States

Treesearch

Marla R. Emery; Clare Ginger; Siri Newman; Michael R.B. Giammusso

2003-01-01

This report provides an introduction to the people who gather special forest products (SFPs) in the eastern United States, the role these resources play in their lives, and implications for management on national forest lands, particularly in relation to the Pilot Program on Forest Botanicals (P. L. 106-113, ? 339(a)). SFPs encompass a wide variety of products and...

Development of prescribed fire as a silvicultural tool for the upland oak forests of the eastern United States

Treesearch

Patrick H. Brose

2014-01-01

In the past 40 years, the perception of periodic fire in upland oak (Quercus spp.) forests in the eastern United States has changed dramatically. Once thought of as a wholly destructive force, periodic fire is now considered an important disturbance whose absence is a major contributing factor to oak regeneration problems. This change in attitude and...

Changes in landscape evolution patterns during the Mid-Pleistocene Revolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claude, A.; Akçar, N.; Ivy-Ochs, S.; Schlunegger, F.; Kubik, P.; Christl, M.; Vockenhuber, C.; Dehnert, A.; Kuhlemann, J.; Rahn, M. K. W.; Schluechter, C.

2016-12-01

River terraces in the Alpine Foreland are sedimentary archives that have recorded paleoenvironmental changes during the Quaternary. In the Swiss Alpine Foreland, Quaternary terraces represent a succession of proximal glaciofluvial gravels deposited by meltwater during repeated glaciations of the Alps and the foreland and lying unconformably on Tertiary molasse or Mesozoic carbonate bedrock. The morphostratigraphy of the terrace gravels has a reversed stratigraphic relationship such that older deposits occur at higher elevations than younger deposits. The aim of this study is to reconstruct the landscape evolution of the northern Alpine Foreland since the early and middle Pleistocene. We focus on seven different sites where we establish their chronology by applying cosmogenic depth-profile and isochron burial dating with 10Be, 26Al and 36Cl. Additionally we perform detailed investigations of clast fabrics, petrographic compositions and clast morphometries to identify the sediment source areas and interpret their transport mechanisms and depositional environments. Finally, coupling the reconstructed chronologies with interpolated height differences between the bedrock underlying the Quaternary deposits and the bedrock beneath the modern river allows estimating post-depositional bedrock incision rates. Analyses show that a first gravel accumulation occurred at around 2 Ma, with most of the sediments originating from the northern Central Alps or being reworked from the Miocene Molasse conglomerates. At that time, the Alpine Rhine was draining through Lake Constance into the Danube River and eastwards into the Black Sea. Long-term incision rates into bedrock are ≤ 100 m/Ma. A second phase of gravel accumulation was observed at around 1 Ma, coinciding with the Mid-Pleistocene Revolution. Results from provenance studies showed that these sediments were derived either from the northern central and eastern Alps or were reworked from the Molasse in the Alpine Foreland. During the second accumulation phase, the Alpine Rhine was already redirected westwards into the Upper Rhine Valley from where it drained northwards into the North Sea. The reorganisation of the drainage network in the foreland probably led to an acceleration in bedrock incision rates with estimated values between 100 and 350 m/Ma.

Stochastic Downscaling of Digital Elevation Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasera, Luiz Gustavo; Mariethoz, Gregoire; Lane, Stuart N.

2016-04-01

High-resolution digital elevation models (HR-DEMs) are extremely important for the understanding of small-scale geomorphic processes in Alpine environments. In the last decade, remote sensing techniques have experienced a major technological evolution, enabling fast and precise acquisition of HR-DEMs. However, sensors designed to measure elevation data still feature different spatial resolution and coverage capabilities. Terrestrial altimetry allows the acquisition of HR-DEMs with centimeter to millimeter-level precision, but only within small spatial extents and often with dead ground problems. Conversely, satellite radiometric sensors are able to gather elevation measurements over large areas but with limited spatial resolution. In the present study, we propose an algorithm to downscale low-resolution satellite-based DEMs using topographic patterns extracted from HR-DEMs derived for example from ground-based and airborne altimetry. The method consists of a multiple-point geostatistical simulation technique able to generate high-resolution elevation data from low-resolution digital elevation models (LR-DEMs). Initially, two collocated DEMs with different spatial resolutions serve as an input to construct a database of topographic patterns, which is also used to infer the statistical relationships between the two scales. High-resolution elevation patterns are then retrieved from the database to downscale a LR-DEM through a stochastic simulation process. The output of the simulations are multiple equally probable DEMs with higher spatial resolution that also depict the large-scale geomorphic structures present in the original LR-DEM. As these multiple models reflect the uncertainty related to the downscaling, they can be employed to quantify the uncertainty of phenomena that are dependent on fine topography, such as catchment hydrological processes. The proposed methodology is illustrated for a case study in the Swiss Alps. A swissALTI3D HR-DEM (with 5 m resolution) and a SRTM-derived LR-DEM from the Western Alps are used to downscale a SRTM-based LR-DEM from the eastern part of the Alps. The results show that the method is capable of generating multiple high-resolution synthetic DEMs that reproduce the spatial structure and statistics of the original DEM.

Diffusion impact on atmospheric moisture transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moseley, C.; Haerter, J.; Göttel, H.; Hagemann, S.; Jacob, D.

2009-04-01

To ensure numerical stability, many global and regional climate models employ numerical diffusion to dampen short wavelength modes. Terrain following sigma diffusion is known to cause unphysical effects near the surface in orographically structured regions. They can be reduced by applying z-diffusion on geopotential height levels. We investigate the effect of the diffusion scheme on atmospheric moisture transport and precipitation formation at different resolutions in the European region. With respect to a better understanding of diffusion in current and future grid-space global models, current day regional models may serve as the appropriate tool for studies of the impact of diffusion schemes: Results can easily be constrained to a small test region and checked against reliable observations, which often are unavailable on a global scale. Special attention is drawn to the Alps - a region of strong topographic gradients and good observational coverage. Our study is further motivated by the appearance of the "summer drying problem" in South Eastern Europe. This too warm and too dry simulation of climate is common to many regional climate models and also to some global climate models, and remains a permanent unsolved problem in the community. We perform a systematic comparison of the two diffusion-schemes with respect to the hydrological cycle. In particular, we investigate how local meteorological quantities - such as the atmospheric moisture in the region east of the Alps - depend on the spatial model resolution. Higher model resolution would lead to a more accurate representation of the topography and entail larger gradients in the Alps. This could lead to consecutively stronger transport of moisture along the slopes in the case of sigma-diffusion with subsequent orographic precipitation, whereas the effect could be qualitatively different in the case of z-diffusion. For our study, we analyse a sequence of simulations of the regional climate model REMO employing the different diffusion methods over Europe. For these simulations, REMO was forced at the lateral boundaries with ERA40 reanalysis data for a five year period. For our higher resolution simulations we employ the double nesting technique.

Slippery Elm

MedlinePlus

Slippery elm is a tree that is native to eastern Canada and the eastern and central United States. ... whole bark) is used as medicine. People take slippery elm by mouth for coughs, sore throat, colic, diarrhea, ...

Wind Powering America Anemometer Loan Program: A Retrospective

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jimenez, T.

This white paper details the history, mechanics, status, and impact of the Native American Anemometer Loan Program (ALP) conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Powering America (WPA) initiative. Originally conceived in 2000 and terminated (as a WPA activity) at the end of FY 2011, the ALP has resulted in the installation of anemometers at 90 locations. In addition, the ALP provided support for the installation of anemometers at 38 additional locations under a related ALP administered by the Western Area Power Administration.

Plasma-based wakefield accelerators as sources of axion-like particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burton, David A.; Noble, Adam

2018-03-01

We estimate the average flux density of minimally-coupled axion-like particles (ALPs) generated by a laser-driven plasma wakefield propagating along a constant strong magnetic field. Our calculations suggest that a terrestrial source based on this approach could generate a pulse of ALPs whose flux density is comparable to that of solar ALPs at Earth. This mechanism is optimal for ALPs with mass in the range of interest of contemporary experiments designed to detect dark matter using microwave cavities.

Molecular and biochemical evidences on the protective effects of triiodothyronine against phosphine-induced cardiac and mitochondrial toxicity.

PubMed

Abdolghaffari, Amir Hossein; Baghaei, Amir; Solgi, Reza; Gooshe, Maziar; Baeeri, Maryam; Navaei-Nigjeh, Mona; Hassani, Shokoufeh; Jafari, Abbas; Rezayat, Seyed Mehdi; Dehpour, Ahmad Reza; Mehr, Shahram Ejtemaei; Abdollahi, Mohammad

2015-10-15

Aluminum phosphide (AlP) is a widely used fumigant and rodenticide. While AlP ingestion leads to high mortality, its exact mechanism of action is unclear. There are ample evidences suggesting cardioprotective effects of triiodothyronine (T3). In this study, we aimed to examine the potential of T3 in the protection of a rat model of AlP induced cardiotoxicity. In order to induce AlP intoxication animals were intoxicated with AlP (12 mg/kg; LD50) by gavage. In treatment groups, T3 (1, 2 and 3 μg/kg) was administered intra-peritoneally 30 min after AlP administration. Animals were connected to the electronic cardiovascular monitoring device simultaneously after T3 administration. Then, electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure (BP), and heart rate (HR) were monitored for 180 min. Additionally, 24h after AlP intoxication, rats were deceased and the hearts were dissected out for evaluation of oxidative stress, cardiac mitochondrial function (complexes I, II and IV), ATP/ADP ratio, caspases 3 & 9, and apoptosis by flow cytometry. The results demonstrated that AlP intoxication causes cardiac toxicity presenting with changes in ECG patterns such as decrement of HR, BP and abnormal QRS complexes, QTc and ST height. T3 at a dose of 3 μg/kg significantly improved ECG and also oxidative stress parameters. Furthermore, T3 administration could increase mitochondrial function and ATP levels within the cardiac cells. In addition, administration of T3 showed a reduction in apoptosis through diminishing the caspase activities and improving cell viability. Overall, the present data demonstrate the beneficial effects of T3 in cardiotoxicity of AlP. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Axion-photon propagation in magnetized universe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Chen; Lai, Dong, E-mail: wangchen@nao.cas.cn, E-mail: dong@astro.cornell.edu

Oscillations between photons and axion-like particles (ALP) travelling in intergalactic magnetic fields have been invoked to explain a number of astrophysical phenomena, or used to constrain ALP properties using observations. One example is the anomalous transparency of the universe to TeV gamma rays. The intergalactic magnetic field is usually modeled as patches of coherent domains, each with a uniform magnetic field, but the field orientation changes randomly from one domain to the next (''discrete-φ model''). We show in this paper that in more realistic situations, when the magnetic field direction varies continuously along the propagation path, the photon-to-ALP conversion probabilitymore » P can be significantly different from the discrete-φ model. In particular, P has a distinct dependence on the photon energy and ALP mass, and can be as large as 100%. This result can affect previous constraints on ALP properties based on ALP-photon propagation in intergalactic magnetic fields, such as TeV photons from distant Active Galactic Nucleus.« less

Si3 AlP: A New Promising Material for Solar Cell Absorber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jihui; Zhai, Yingteng; Liu, Hengrui; Xiang, Hongjun; Gong, Xingao; Wei, Suhuai

2014-03-01

First-principles calculations are performed to study the structural and optoelectronic properties of the newly synthesized nonisovalent and lattice-matched (Si2)0.6(AlP)0.4 alloy [T. Watkins et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 16212.] The most stable structure of Si3AlP is a superlattice along the <111>direction with separated AlP and Si layers, which has a similar optical absorption spectrum to silicon. The ordered C1c1-Si3AlP is found to be the most stable one among all the structures with -AlPSi3- motifs, in agreement with the experimental suggestions. We predict that C1c1-Si3AlP has good optical properties, i.e., it has a larger fundamental band gap and a smaller direct band gap than Si, thus it has much higher absorption in the visible light region, making it a promising candidate for improving the performance of the existing Si-based solar cells.

In vitro response to alkaline phosphatase coatings immobilized onto titanium implants using electrospray deposition or polydopamine-assisted deposition.

PubMed

Nijhuis, Arnold W G; van den Beucken, Jeroen J J P; Jansen, John A; Leeuwenburgh, Sander C G

2014-04-01

Immobilization of biomolecules onto implant surfaces is one of the most straightforward strategies to control the interaction between an implant and its biological environment. Recently, it was shown that the enzyme alkaline phosphatase (ALP) could be efficiently immobilized onto titanium implants in a single step using polydopamine. We hypothesized that such polydopamine-ALP coatings can enhance the early attachment of cells and increase mineralization. Therefore, the current study aimed at immobilization of ALP onto titanium by means of either one- or two-step polydopamine-assisted immobilization or electrospray deposition, the comparative characterization of these experimental substrates and subsequent cell behavioral analysis using primary osteoblast-like cells. Uncoated titanium and ALP-free polydopamine coatings served as controls. Despite significant ALP surface activity and lower water contact for angles ALP-containing surface modifications, only marginal effects on early cell behavior (i.e., cell spreading) and osteogenic differentiation (i.e., proliferation, differentiation and mineralization) were observed in comparison to uncoated titanium. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A review of aluminium phosphide poisoning and a flowchart to treat it.

PubMed

Hashemi-Domeneh, Behrooz; Zamani, Nasim; Hassanian-Moghaddam, Hossein; Rahimi, Mitra; Shadnia, Shahin; Erfantalab, Peyman; Ostadi, Ali

2016-09-01

The use of pesticides such as aluminium phosphide (AlP) has increased in the recent years and improved the quantity and quality of agricultural products in a number of developing countries. The downside is that AlP causes severe chronic and acute health effects that have reached major proportions in countries such as India, Iran, Bangladesh, and Jordan. Nearly 300,000 people die due to pesticide poisoning in the world every year. Poisoning with AlP accounts for many of these deaths. Unfortunately, at the same time, there is no standard treatment for it. The aim of this article is to give a brief review of AlP poisoning and propose a treatment flowchart based on the knowledge gained so far. For this purpose we reviewed all articles on the management of AlP poisoning published from 2000 till now. Using a modified Delphi design, we have designed a handy flowchart that could be used as a guide for AlP poisoning management of patients in emergency centres.

Aluminum phosphate microcapsule flame retardants for flexible polyurethane foams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Bin; Liu, Hong; Han, Jian

2018-04-01

In this study, highly efficient flame-retardant aluminum phosphate (ALP) microcapsules were synthesized from ALP and ammonium phosphomolybdate trihydrate. The chemical structure of the ALP microcapsules was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis, and the thermal degradation behavior was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Subsequently, flexible polyurethane (PU) foams were prepared with the ALP microcapsules. Limiting oxygen index (LOI) tests, vertical burning tests, smoke density rating (SDR), and cone calorimetric tests were employed to investigate the combustion of the materials. The results showed that the flexible PU foams with 15 parts per hundred polyol by weight (pphp) ALP microcapsules passed the vertical burning test and they had an increased LOI value of 28.5%. The SDR value for PU/20 pphp ALP microcapsule composites was about 16.0% and the SDR value for the pure PU was about 29.0%. The corresponding flame-retardant mechanism was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, TGA, Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) tests, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry.

Is rarity of pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea) in eastern north America linked to rarity of its unique fungal symbiont?

Treesearch

Christina Hazard; Erik A. Lilleskov; Thomas R. Horton

2012-01-01

Like other myco-heterotrophic plants, Pterospora andromedea (pinedrops) is dependent upon its specific fungal symbionts for survival. The rarity of pinedrops fungal symbiont was investigated in the eastern United States where pinedrops are rare. Wild populations of eastern pinedrops were sampled, and the plant haplotypes and fungal symbionts were...

Fuels Management and Habitat Restoration Activities Benefit Eastern Hognose Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos) in a Disturbance-Dependent Ecosystem

Treesearch

Michael E. Akresh; David I. King; Brad C. Timm; Robert T. Brooks

2017-01-01

Eastern Hognose Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos) are considered a species of conservation concern in the northeast United States because of their association with rare and declining habitats such as pine barrens and shrublands. These are disturbance-dependent habitats that currently require management to persist. We studied Eastern Hognose Snakes on...

Conservation and management of eastern big-eared bats: a symposium

Treesearch

Susan C. Loeb; Michael J. Lacki; Darren A. Miller

2011-01-01

Big-eared bats (genus Corynorhinus) in the Eastern United States are species of special conservation concern. These species are at risk due to many factors, including lack of knowledge about their basic biology, population numbers or trends, and distribution. This volume contains five synthesis papers on the status, ecology, and conservation of eastern big-eared bats...

Integrated modeling to assess the ecological and air quality trade-offs of agricultural burning in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas

EPA Science Inventory

The Flint Hills of eastern Kansas and northern Oklahoma is home to the largest remaining contiguous grassland prairie in the United States. Throughout the prairie, burning is a common practice used to preserve the prairie from encroachment of woody species such as eastern Red Ced...

History of fire in eastern oak forests and implications for restoration

Treesearch

Justin L. Hart; Megan L. Buchanan

2012-01-01

Our understanding of long-term fire history in the eastern United States is derived from the interpretation of a variety of archives. While cultural records are available for some sites, biological archives are most frequently used to reconstruct long-term historical fire regimes. The three most commonly used biological archives in eastern oak forests include: the...

Exotic pests of eastern forests conference proceedings

Treesearch

Kerry O. Britton

1998-01-01

Invasive exotic pest plants, diseases, and insects, have had a dramatic impact on the health and composition of the Eastern forests for many decades. Chestnut blight was discovered in the United States in 1904. Since then, it has virtually destroyed the chestnut population, which once occupied 25 percent of the eastern forest. In the 1860's, the gypsy moth was...

Assessment of the serum levels of bone alkaline phosphatase with a new immunoradiometric assay in patients with metabolic bone disease

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garnero, P.; Delmas, P.D.

1993-10-01

The authors measured serum bone alkaline phosphatase (B-ALP) with a new immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) in a large sample of healthy controls comprising 173 women and 180 men, 20-88 yr of age, and in patients with metabolic bone disease. Using serum samples from patients with liver disease and patients with Paget's disease with elevated total alkaline phosphatase (T-ALP) as a source of, respectively, liver and bone isoenyzmes, they determined a liver cross-reactivity of the IRMA of 16% that was confirmed by electrophoresis of the circulating alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes. The IRMA was linear for serial sample dilutions, the recovery ranged from 89-110%,more » and the intra- and interassay variations were below 7% and 9%, respectively. B-ALP increased linearly with age in both sexes, and the mean B-ALP serum levels were not significantly different for women and men (11.3 [+-] 4.8 ng/mL for women; 11.0 [+-] 4.0 ng/mL for men). The increase in B-ALP after the menopause was significantly higher than that in T-ALP (+77% vs. +24%; P<0.001). When the values of postmenopausal women were expressed as the SD from the mean of premenopausal women, the mean Z scores were 2.2[+-] 1.8 for B-ALP and 0.9 [+-] 1.3 for T-ALP (P<0.001 between the two).« less

European wildcat populations are subdivided into five main biogeographic groups: consequences of Pleistocene climate changes or recent anthropogenic fragmentation?

PubMed

Mattucci, Federica; Oliveira, Rita; Lyons, Leslie A; Alves, Paulo C; Randi, Ettore

2016-01-01

Extant populations of the European wildcat are fragmented across the continent, the likely consequence of recent extirpations due to habitat loss and over-hunting. However, their underlying phylogeographic history has never been reconstructed. For testing the hypothesis that the European wildcat survived the Ice Age fragmented in Mediterranean refuges, we assayed the genetic variation at 31 microsatellites in 668 presumptive European wildcats sampled in 15 European countries. Moreover, to evaluate the extent of subspecies/population divergence and identify eventual wild × domestic cat hybrids, we genotyped 26 African wildcats from Sardinia and North Africa and 294 random-bred domestic cats. Results of multivariate analyses and Bayesian clustering confirmed that the European wild and the domestic cats (plus the African wildcats) belong to two well-differentiated clusters (average Ф ST = 0.159, r st = 0.392, P > 0.001; Analysis of molecular variance [AMOVA]). We identified from c. 5% to 10% cryptic hybrids in southern and central European populations. In contrast, wild-living cats in Hungary and Scotland showed deep signatures of genetic admixture and introgression with domestic cats. The European wildcats are subdivided into five main genetic clusters (average Ф ST = 0.103, r st = 0.143, P > 0.001; AMOVA) corresponding to five biogeographic groups, respectively, distributed in the Iberian Peninsula, central Europe, central Germany, Italian Peninsula and the island of Sicily, and in north-eastern Italy and northern Balkan regions (Dinaric Alps). Approximate Bayesian Computation simulations supported late Pleistocene-early Holocene population splittings (from c. 60 k to 10 k years ago), contemporary to the last Ice Age climatic changes. These results provide evidences for wildcat Mediterranean refuges in southwestern Europe, but the evolution history of eastern wildcat populations remains to be clarified. Historical genetic subdivisions suggest conservation strategies aimed at enhancing gene flow through the restoration of ecological corridors within each biogeographic units. Concomitantly, the risk of hybridization with free-ranging domestic cats along corridor edges should be carefully monitored.

Investigations on socio economic indicators of French Alps ski industry from an explicit spatial modelling of managed snow on ski slopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spandre, Pierre; François, Hugues; Morin, Samuel; George-Marcelpoil, Emmanuelle; Lafaysse, Matthieu

2017-04-01

Investigations of the capacity of ski resorts to anticipate, cope with and recover from the impact of natural snow scarcity through snow management (grooming, snowmaking) have been realized in most of the major regions in terms of international ski offer although not in the French Alps hitherto. The present work therefore introduces an innovative approach for the investigation of socio economic implications of changes in snow conditions for the French Alps ski resorts based on a panel of 129 resorts representing 96% of the total French Alps ski lifts infrastructures. We integrated detailed spatial representations of ski resorts (including priority areas for snowmaking equipment) along with physically based snowpack modelling (including the physical impact of grooming and snowmaking). The viability of ski resorts was further adressed thanks to a commonly used rule based on the snow season duration at the village and ski lifts average elevations along with the development of original viability indicators of snow conditions in the French Alps ski resorts based on the specific periods for the economic success of winter sports: Christmas and February school holidays. Such indicators were correlated to the number of ski lifts tickets sales over the 2001 - 2014 period and proved to be relevant to investigate and predict the evolutions of ski lifts tickets sales under the current ski market conditions in the French Alps. Our results outlined the contrast of snow conditions between French Alps ski resorts, even when accounting for snow management, particularly regarding the geographical location of resorts (Southern versus Northern Alps), the size and related elevation range of ski resorts. Our physically based approach also allowed to compute the water and energy requirements for the production of Machine Made snow since the start of the development of snowguns in the French Alps. Our computations proved to be strongly correlated to the observed amounts of water from the existing literature and confirmed that the increasing surface equipped with snowmaking facilities in the French Alps is the major factor for the increasing water and energy requirements since 1985. Such approach therefore provides objective information on the impact of snow conditions on the economic activity of winter sports in the French Alps under past and present conditions and may be considered as a relevant approach for further investigations, including the impact of climate change on the winter tourism in the French Alps.

Pre-Alpine contrasting tectono-metamorphic evolutions within the Southern Steep Belt, Central Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roda, Manuel; Zucali, Michele; Li, Zheng-Xiang; Spalla, Maria Iole; Yao, Weihua

2018-06-01

In the Southern Steep Belt, Italian Central Alps, relicts of the pre-Alpine continental crust are preserved. Between Valtellina and Val Camonica, a poly-metamorphic rock association occurs, which belongs to the Austroalpine units and includes two classically subdivided units: the Languard-Campo nappe (LCN) and the Tonale Series (TS). The outcropping rocks are low to medium grade muscovite, biotite and minor staurolite-bearing gneisses and micaschists, which include interlayered garnet- and biotite-bearing amphibolites, marbles, quartzites and pegmatites, as well as sillimanite-bearing gneisses and micaschists. Permian intrusives (granitoids, diorites and minor gabbros) emplaced in the metamorphic rocks. We performed a detailed structural, petrological and geochronological analysis focusing on the two main lithotypes, namely, staurolite-bearing micaschists and sillimanite-bearing paragneisses, to reconstruct the Variscan and Permian-Triassic history of this crustal section. The reconstruction of the tectono-metamorphic evolution allows for the distinction between two different tectono-metamorphic units during the early pre-Alpine evolution (D1) and predates the Permian intrusives, which comprise rocks from both TS and LCN. In the staurolite-bearing micaschists, D1 developed under amphibolite facies conditions (P = 0.7-1.1 GPa, T = 580-660 °C), while in the sillimanite-bearing paragneisses formed under granulite facies conditions (P = 0.6-1.0 GPa, T> 780 °C). The two tectono-metamorphic units coupled together during the second pre-Alpine stage (D2) under granulite-amphibolite facies conditions at a lower pressure (P = 0.4-0.6 GPa, T = 620-750 °C) forming a single tectono-metamorphic unit (Languard-Tonale Tectono-Metamorphic Unit), which comprised the previously distinguished LCN and TS. Geochronological analyses on zircon rims indicate ages ranging between 250 and 275 Ma for D2, contemporaneous with the emplacement of Permian intrusives. This event developed under a high thermal state, which is compatible with an extensional tectonic setting that occurred during the exhumation of the Languard-Tonale Tectono-Metamorphic Unit. The extensional regime is interpreted as being responsible for the thinning of the Adriatic continental lithosphere during the Permian, which may be related to an early rifting phase of Pangea.

Projecting wildfire area burned in the south-eastern United States, 2011-60

Treesearch

Jeff Prestemon; Uma Shankar; Aijun Xiu; K. Talgo; D. Yang; Ernest Dixon IV; Donald McKenzie; Karen L. Abt

2016-01-01

Future changes in society and climate are expected to affect wildfire activity in the south-eastern United States. The objective of this research was to understand how changes in both climate and society may affect wildfire in the coming decades.Weestimated a three-stage statistical model of wildfire area burned by ecoregion province for lightning and human causes (...

Changing climate, changing forests: The impacts of climate change on forests of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada

Treesearch

Lindsey Rustad; John Campbell; Jeffrey S. Dukes; Thomas Huntington; Kathy Fallon Lambert; Jacqueline Mohan; Nicholas Rodenhouse

2012-01-01

Decades of study on climatic change and its direct and indirect effects on forest ecosystems provide important insights for forest science, management, and policy. A synthesis of recent research from the northeastern United States and eastern Canada shows that the climate of the region has become warmer and wetter over the past 100 years and that there are more extreme...

Using FIA data to assess current and potential future tree species importance values in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Louis Iverson; Anantha Prasad; Anantha Prasad

2003-01-01

FIA data are extremely valuable for evaluating regional variation in forest distribution. We have processed and summarized FIA data to show four patterns across the Eastern United States: 1) the number and density of FIA forested plots by state, 2) current importance values and frequencies for several species within 20 x 20 km blocks, 3) tree diversity by block, and 4...

Using FIA data to assess current and potential future tree species importance values in the eastern United States

Treesearch

Louis Iverson; Anantha Prasad

2002-01-01

FIA data are extremely valuable for evaluating regional variation in forest distribution. We have processed and summarized FIA data to show four patterns across the Eastern United States: 1) the number and density of FIA forested plots by state, 2) current importance values and frequencies for several species within 20 x 20 km blocks, 3) tree diversity by block, and 4...

Site response in the eastern United States: A comparison of Vs30 measurements with estimates from horizontal:vertical spectral ratios

USGS Publications Warehouse

McNamara, Daniel E.; Stephenson, William J.; Odum, Jackson K.; Williams, Robert; Gee, Lind

2014-01-01

Earthquake damage is often increased due to local ground-motion amplification caused by soft soils, thick basin sediments, topographic effects, and liquefaction. A critical factor contributing to the assessment of seismic hazard is detailed information on local site response. In order to address and quantify the site response at seismograph stations in the eastern United States, we investigate the regional spatial variation of horizontal:vertical spectral ratios (HVSR) using ambient noise recorded at permanent regional and national network stations as well as temporary seismic stations deployed in order to record aftershocks of the 2011 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake. We compare the HVSR peak frequency to surface measurements of the shear-wave seismic velocity to 30 m depth (Vs30) at 21 seismograph stations in the eastern United States and find that HVSR peak frequency increases with increasing Vs30. We use this relationship to estimate the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program soil class at 218 ANSS (Advanced National Seismic System), GSN (Global Seismographic Network), and RSN (Regional Seismograph Networks) locations in the eastern United States, and suggest that this seismic station–based HVSR proxy could potentially be used to calibrate other site response characterization methods commonly used to estimate shaking hazard.

White mica K-Ar geochronology of HP-UHP units in the Lago di Cignana area, western Alps, Italy: Tectonic implications for exhumation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gouzu, Chitaro; Yagi, Koshi; Thanh, Ngo Xuan; Itaya, Tetsumaru; Compagnoni, Roberto

2016-04-01

High-pressure and ultra-high pressure (HP-UHP) blueschist- and eclogite-facies metabasaltic and metasedimentary rocks occur in four different tectonic units near Lago di Cignana, western Alps. We have determined K-Ar ages for white micas (matrix phengite and paragonite) from the Lago di Cignana UHP unit (LCU; 39-41 Ma); the lower and upper units of the Zermatt-Saas meta-ophiolite (LU and UU; 37-38 Ma and 38-41 Ma respectively), and the Combin unit (CU; 36-40 Ma). These K-Ar ages overlap with single-grain Ar-Ar plateau ages (36-42 Ma) previously determined for phengites from LCU metasediments. Matrix white micas have been severely deformed during exhumation, and their chemistries differ from those of micas included in garnet. Although individual mica grains in the matrix could have experienced different degrees of deformation which have reset their K-Ar systems, "bulk" white mica separates provide the average age of all the individual grains in the separate. The similarity of ages determined for white micas from the LCU, LU, UU and CU units, regardless of rock type and mineral species, suggests that these four units were metamorphosed together as part of a single metamorphic sequence in the Piemonte-Liguria paleosubduction zone and were subsequently exhumed together. However, present-day structural relationship among those units and the limited occurrence of UHP minerals in LCU suggests that the exhumation of LCU was more rapid than that for LU, UU and CU. The age gaps between the youngest value of white mica K-Ar ages in each unit and the inferred timing of the metamorphic peak (U-Pb age: 44 Ma) is 5, 7, 6 and 8 Myr for LCU, LU, UU and CU, respectively. These intervals are considerably shorter than that determined for the Sanbagawa HP metamorphic belt of Southwest Japan (> 31 Myr). The short interval observed for the Lago di Cignana units that we have studied is consistent with the model of rapid exhumation of the UHP-bearing metamorphic domain, suggesting the exhumation rate is higher than 18 mm/y in the early stage of exhumation from the deepest level (ca. 120 km) to the lower crust (ca. 30 km).

Inversion Breakup in Small Rocky Mountain and Alpine Basins

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Whiteman, Charles D.; Pospichal, Bernhard; Eisenbach, Stefan

2004-08-01

Comparisons are made between the post-sunrise breakup of temperature inversions in two similar closed basins in quite different climate settings, one in the eastern Alps and one in the Rocky Mountains. The small, high-altitude, limestone sinkholes have both experienced extreme temperature minima below -50°C. On undisturbed clear nights, temperature inversions reach to 120 m heights in both sinkholes, but are much stronger in the drier Rocky Mountain basin (24K versus 13K). Inversion destruction takes place 2.6 to 3 hours after sunrise and is accomplished primarily by subsidence warming associated with the removal of air from the base of the inversionmore » by the upslope flows that develop over the sidewalls. Differences in inversion strengths and post-sunrise heating rates are caused by differences in the surface energy budget, with drier soil and a higher sensible heat flux in the Rocky Mountain sinkhole.« less

Structure of Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) Efforts, 2000-01.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baenen, Nancy; Yaman, Kimberly

This report focuses on the structure of instructional assistance available through the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) to students who show low achievement in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina. Context information is also provided on other programs available to these students. Reports on ALP student participation,…

Effect of AlB2 on the P-threshold in Al-Si alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yuying; Liu, Xiangfa

2018-06-01

The nucleation of primary Si in Al-Si alloys has been investigated in this work. It was found that there was a threshold concentration of P, below which AlP can not heterogeneous nucleate primary Si in Al-12 wt%Si alloy. AlB2 can not nucleate primary Si directly, but the presence of AlB2 may assist the nucleation of AlP leading to the nucleation of primary Si particles. In addition, with addition of AlB2, the nucleation efficiency of AlP can be improved in Al-18 wt%Si alloy. The orientation relationship between AlB2 and AlP has been calculated, and the adsorption model for AlB2 and AlP was proposed in this work.

Naloxone decreases the inhibitory effect of alprazolam on the release of adrenocorticotropin/cortisol induced by physical exercise in man

PubMed Central

Coiro, Vittorio; Volpi, Riccardo; Casti, Amos; Maffei, Maria Ludovica; Stella, Adriano; Volta, Elio; Chiodera, Paolo

2011-01-01

AIMS To establish the possible involvement of alprazolam (ALP) and/or opiates in the mechanism underlying the ACTH/cortisol response to physical exercise. METHODS Tests were carried out under basal conditions (exercise control test), exercise plus ALP (50 µg at time −90 min), naloxone (10 mg at time 0) or ALP plus naloxone. Plasma ACTH and serum cortisol concentrations were evaluated in blood samples taken before, during and after the bicycle ergometer tests. RESULTS ACTH and cortisol concentrations rose significantly after physical exercise. Maximum peak at time 15 min (P≤ 0.01 vs. baseline) for ACTH and at time 30 min (P≤ 0.01 vs. baseline) for cortisol. In the presence of naloxone, the ACTH and cortisol responses were significantly increased (maximum peak at time 20 min, P≤ 0.02 vs. control test for ACTH, and at time 30 min (P≤ 0.01 vs. baseline) for cortisol) whereas they were abolished by ALP. When ALP and naloxone were given together, the inhibitory effect of ALP was partial. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate an inhibitory effect of ALP in the regulation of the ACTH/cortisol response to physical exercise in man and suggest that GABAergic receptor activating benzodiazepines and opioids interact in the neuroendocrine secretion of ACTH/cortisol. PMID:21564163

Revealing heterogeneous nucleation of primary Si and eutectic Si by AlP in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys.

PubMed

Li, Jiehua; Hage, Fredrik S; Liu, Xiangfa; Ramasse, Quentin; Schumacher, Peter

2016-04-28

The heterogeneous nucleation of primary Si and eutectic Si can be attributed to the presence of AlP. Although P, in the form of AlP particles, is usually observed in the centre of primary Si, there is still a lack of detailed investigations on the distribution of P within primary Si and eutectic Si in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys at the atomic scale. Here, we report an atomic-scale experimental investigation on the distribution of P in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys. P, in the form of AlP particles, was observed in the centre of primary Si. However, no significant amount of P was detected within primary Si, eutectic Si and the Al matrix. Instead, P was observed at the interface between the Al matrix and eutectic Si, strongly indicating that P, in the form of AlP particles (or AlP 'patch' dependent on the P concentration), may have nucleated on the surface of the Al matrix and thereby enhanced the heterogeneous nucleation of eutectic Si. The present investigation reveals some novel insights into heterogeneous nucleation of primary Si and eutectic Si by AlP in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys and can be used to further develop heterogeneous nucleation mechanisms based on adsorption.

Soil mineral alters the effect of Cd on the alkaline phosphatase activity.

PubMed

Tan, Xiangping; He, Yike; Wang, Ziquan; Li, Chenghui; Kong, Long; Tian, Haixia; Shen, Weijun; Megharaj, Mallavarapu; He, Wenxiang

2018-05-30

The toxicity of heavy metals (HMs) to soil enzymes is directly influenced by the status of the enzyme (free vs. immobilized on minerals) and the duration of exposure. However, little information is available on the interaction effect of HMs, mineral, and exposure time on soil enzyme activities. We investigated the interaction mechanism of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) with minerals (montmorillonite and goethite) and the response of free and immobilized ALP to cadmium (Cd) toxicity under different exposure times. The adsorption isotherms of ALP on both minerals were L-type. The maximum adsorption capacity of goethite for ALP was 3.96 times than montmorillonite, although both had similar adsorption constant (K). Goethite showed a greater inhibitory effect on ALP activity than montmorillonite. The toxicity of Cd to free- and goethite-ALP was enhanced with increasing exposure time, indicating a time-dependent inhibition. However, Cd toxicity to montmorillonite-ALP was not affected by the exposure time. The inhibition of Cd to soil enzyme activity is influenced by the properties of mineral complexes and the duration of exposure. A further understanding of the time pattern of HMs toxicity is helpful for accurately assessing the hazards of HMs to soil enzyme activity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification of human pulmonary alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes.

PubMed

Capelli, A; Cerutti, C G; Lusuardi, M; Donner, C F

1997-04-01

An increase of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity has been observed in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients affected by pulmonary fibrosis in chronic interstitial lung disorders. To characterize the ALP isoenzymes in such cases, we used gel filtration, agarose gel electrophoresis, heat and amino acid inhibition assays, wheat-germ agglutinin (WGA) precipitation, and an immunoassay specific for the bone-isoform of ALP. Only one anodic band representing a high-molecular-weight isoform of ALP (Mr approximately 2,000 kDa) was observed on electrophoresis of BALF. The inhibition assay results were consistent for a tissue-nonspecific isoenzyme sensitive to a temperature of 56 degrees C (71.9 +/- 2.5% inhibition) and to homoarginine (65.7 +/- 1.9%), and resistant to L-phenylalanine and L-leucine. Less than 13% of ALP activity was heat-stable. After incubation of BALF specimens with glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase D plus Nonidet P-40, or with phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase C alone, an electrophoretic cathodic band (Mr approximately 220 kDa) appeared near the bone band of a standard serum. With the WGA assay, 84.4 +/- 3.3% of ALP precipitated and the band disappeared. After immunoassay for the bone isoform, a mean of less than 5% enzyme activity was measured. We conclude that the ALP found in BALF is a pulmonary isoform of a tissue nonspecific isoenzyme.

Thickness of the Mississippi River Valley confining unit, eastern Arkansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gonthier, Gerard; Mahon, Gary L.

1993-01-01

Concern arose in the late 1980s over the vulnerability of the Mississippi Valley alluvial aquifer to contamination from potential surface sources related to pesticide or fertilizer use, industrial activity, landfills, or livestock operations. In 1990 a study was begun to locate areas in Arkansas where the groundwater flow system is susceptible to contamination by surface contaminants. As a part of that effort, the thickness of the clay confining unit overlying the alluvial aquifer in eastern Arkansas was mapped. The study area included all or parts of 27 counties in eastern Arkansas that are underlain by the alluvial aquifer and its overlying confining unit. A database of well attributes was compiled based on data from driller's logs and from published data and stored in computer files. A confining-unit thickness map was created from the driller's-log database using geographic information systems technology. A computer program was then used to contour the data. Where the confining unit is present, it ranges in thickness from 0 feet in many locations in the study area to 140 feet in northeastern Greene County and can vary substantially over short distances. Although general trends in the thickness of the confining unit are apparent, the thickness has great spatial variability. An apparent relation exists between thickness of the confining unit and spatial variability in thickness. In areas where the thickness of the confining unit is 40 feet or less, such as in Clay, eastern Craighead, northwestern Mississippi, and Woodruff Counties, thickness of the unit tends robe more uniform than in areas where the thickness of the unit generally exceeds 40 feet, such as in Arkansas, Lonoke, and Prairie Counties. At some sites the confining unit is very thick compared to its thickness in the immediate surrounding area. Locations of abandoned Mississippi River meander channels generally coincide with location of locally thick confining unit. Deposition of the confining unit onto the coarser alluvial aquifer deposits has reduced the relief of the land surface. Hence, the altitude of the top of the alluvial aquifer varies more than the altitude of the land surface and is indicative of a depositional setting.

Hepatic Enzyme Alterations in HIV Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy: A Case-Control Study in a Hospital Setting in Ghana.

PubMed

Osakunor, Derick Nii Mensah; Obirikorang, Christian; Fianu, Vincent; Asare, Isaac; Dakorah, Mavis

2015-01-01

Diagnosing hepatic injury in HIV infection can be a herculean task for clinicians as several factors may be involved. In this study, we sought to determine the effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and disease progression on hepatic enzymes in HIV patients. A case-control study conducted from January to May 2014 at the Akwatia Government Hospital, Eastern region, Ghana, The study included 209 HIV patients on ART (designated HIV-ART) and 132 ART-naive HIV patients (designated HIV-Controls). Data gathered included demography, clinical history and results of blood tests for hepatic enzymes. We employed the Fisher's, Chi-square, unpaired t-test and Pearson's correlation in analysis, using GraphPad Prism and SPSS. A P value < 0.05 was considered significant. Median CD4 lymphocyte count of HIV-ART participants (604.00 cells/mm3) was higher than that of HIV-Controls (491.50 cells/mm3; P = 0.0005). Mean values of ALP, ALT, AST and GGT did not differ between the two groups compared (P > 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between hepatic enzymes (ALP, ALT, AST and GGT) for both groups (p < 0.01 each). Duration of ART correlated positively with ALT (p < 0.05). The effect size of disease progression on hepatic enzymes for both groups was small. Antiretroviral therapy amongst this population has minimal effects on hepatic enzymes and does not suggest modifications in therapy. Hepatic injury may occur in HIV, even in the absence of ART and other traditional factors. Monitoring of hepatic enzymes is still important in HIV patients.

Divergent plate motion drives rapid exhumation of (ultra)high pressure rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Jie; Malusà, Marco G.; Zhao, Liang; Baldwin, Suzanne L.; Fitzgerald, Paul G.; Gerya, Taras

2018-06-01

Exhumation of (ultra)high pressure [(U)HP] rocks by upper-plate divergent motion above an unbroken slab, first proposed in the Western Alps, has never been tested by numerical methods. We present 2D thermo-mechanical models incorporating subduction of a thinned continental margin beneath either a continental or oceanic upper plate, followed by upper-plate divergent motion away from the lower plate. Results demonstrate how divergent plate motion may trigger rapid exhumation of large volumes of (U)HP rocks directly to the Earth's surface, without the need for significant overburden removal by erosion. Model exhumation paths are fully consistent with natural examples for a wide range of upper-plate divergence rates. Exhumation rates are systematically higher than the divergent rate imposed to the upper plate, and the modeled size of exhumed (U)HP domes is invariant for different rates of upper-plate divergence. Major variations are instead predicted at depth for differing model scenarios, as larger amounts of divergent motion may allow mantle-wedge exhumation to shallow depth under the exhuming domes. The transient temperature increase, due to ascent of mantle-wedge material in the subduction channel, has a limited effect on exhumed continental (U)HP rocks already at the surface. We test two examples, the Cenozoic (U)HP terranes of the Western Alps (continental upper plate) and eastern Papua New Guinea (oceanic upper plate). The good fit between model predictions and the geologic record in these terranes encourages the application of these models globally to pre-Cenozoic (U)HP terranes where the geologic record of exhumation is only partly preserved.

Polyploid evolution and Pleistocene glacial cycles: A case study from the alpine primrose Primula marginata (Primulaceae)

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Recent studies highlighted the role of Pleistocene climatic cycles in polyploid speciation and of southern Alpine refugia as reservoirs of diversity during glacial maxima. The polyploid Primula marginata, endemic to the southwestern Alps, includes both hexaploid and dodecaploid cytotypes that show no ecological or morphological differences. We used flow cytometry to determine variation and geographic distribution of cytotypes within and between populations and analyses of chloroplast (cp) and nuclear ribosomal (nr) DNA sequences from the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region to infer the evolutionary history of the two cytotypes and the auto- vs. allopolyploid origin of dodecaploid populations. Results We did not detect any intermediate cytotypes or variation of ploidy levels within populations. Hexaploids occur in the western and dodecaploids in the eastern part of the distributional range, respectively. The cpDNA and nrDNA topologies are in conflict, for the former supports shared ancestry between P. marginata and P. latifolia, while the latter implies common origins between at least some ITS clones of P. marginata and P. allionii. Conclusions Our results suggest an initial episode of chloroplast capture involving ancestral lineages of P. latifolia and P. marginata, followed by polyploidization between P. marginata-like and P. allionii-like lineages in a southern refugium of the Maritime Alps. The higher proportion of ITS polymorphisms in dodecaploid than in hexaploid accessions of P. marginata and higher total nucleotide diversity of ITS clones in dodecaploid vs. hexaploid individuals sequences are congruent with the allopolyploid hypothesis of dodecaploid origin. PMID:22530870

Late Quaternary glacier sensitivity to temperature and precipitation distribution in the Southern Alps of New Zealand

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ann V. Rowan; Simon H. Brocklehurst; David M. Schultz

2014-05-01

Glaciers respond to climate variations and leave geomorphic evidence that represents an important terrestrial paleoclimate record. However, the accuracy of paleoclimate reconstructions from glacial geology is limited by the challenge of representing mountain meteorology in numerical models. Precipitation is usually treated in a simple manner and yet represents difficult-to-characterize variables such as amount, distribution, and phase. Furthermore, precipitation distributions during a glacial probably differed from present-day interglacial patterns. We applied two models to investigate glacier sensitivity to temperature and precipitation in the eastern Southern Alps of New Zealand. A 2-D model was used to quantify variations in the length ofmore » the reconstructed glaciers resulting from plausible precipitation distributions compared to variations in length resulting from change in mean annual air temperature and precipitation amount. A 1-D model was used to quantify variations in length resulting from interannual climate variability. Assuming that present-day interglacial values represent precipitation distributions during the last glacial, a range of plausible present-day precipitation distributions resulted in uncertainty in the Last Glacial Maximum length of the Pukaki Glacier of 17.1?km (24%) and the Rakaia Glacier of 9.3?km (25%), corresponding to a 0.5°C difference in temperature. Smaller changes in glacier length resulted from a 50% decrease in precipitation amount from present-day values (-14% and -18%) and from a 50% increase in precipitation amount (5% and 9%). Our results demonstrate that precipitation distribution can produce considerable variation in simulated glacier extents and that reconstructions of paleoglaciers should include this uncertainty.« less

Fire and invasive exotic plant species in eastern oak communities: an assessment of current knowledge

Treesearch

Cynthia D. Huebner

2006-01-01

Successful regeneration of oak-dominated communities in the Eastern United States historically requires disturbance such as fire, making them vulnerable to invasion by exotic plants. Little is currently known about the effects of fire on invasive plant species and the effects of invasive plant species on fire regimes of this region. Seventeen common eastern invaders...

The hot continental division: Oak forests, fire, and ecosystem management frame fuels management questions

Treesearch

Susan L. Stout; Matthew B. Dickinson; Gregory J. Nowacki

2012-01-01

The Hot Continental Division is one of the larger ecoregions within the continental United States (McNab and Avers 1994), incorporating portions of 19 States and extending from the eastern seacoast to areas west of the Mississippi River (chapter 1). The Division includes the Eastern (Oceanic) and Eastern (Continental) Broadleaf Forest Provinces and two Mountain...

Genetic structure of the invasive tree Ailanthus altissima in eastern United States cities

Treesearch

Preston R. Aldrich; Joseph S. Briguglio; Shyam N. Kapadia; Minesh U. Morker; Ankit Rawal; Preeti Kalra; Cynthia D. Huebner; Gary K. Greer

2010-01-01

Ailanthus altissima is an invasive tree from Asia. It now occurs in most US states, and although primarily an urban weed, it has become a problem in forested areas especially in the eastern states. Little is known about its genetic structure. We explore its naturalized gene pool from 28 populations, mostly of the eastern US where infestations are...

Utilization options for decadent eastern hemlock timber

Treesearch

Matthew F. Winn; Philip A. Araman

2007-01-01

The hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand) is a non-native pest that is decimating the eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L.) population in the forests of the eastern United States. Nearly one third of the area inhabited by native hemlocks in the Central Hardwoods region is infested with the insect. Once a tree is heavily infected, it is estimated that tree...

Developing hazelnuts (Corylus spp.) with durable resistance to eastern filbert blight caused by Anisogramma anomala

Treesearch

Thomas J. Molnar; John Capik; Clayton W. Leadbetter; Ning Zhang; Guohong Cai; Bradley I. Hillman

2012-01-01

Eastern filbert blight (EFB) is a devastating fungal disease of European hazelnut, Corylus avellana L., and is considered to be the primary reason hazelnuts have not been developed as a commercial crop in the eastern United States. The pathogen, Anisogramma anomala, is native to a wide area east of the Rocky Mountains, where it...

Ring Shake in Eastern Hemlock: Frequency and Relationship to Tree Attributes

Treesearch

John E. Baumgras; Paul E. Sendak; David L. Sonderman; David L. Sonderman

2000-01-01

Ring shake is a barrier to improved utilization of eastern hemlock, an important component of the total softwood timber resource in the Eastern United States and Canada. Ring shake is the lengthwise separation of wood that occurs between and parallel to growth rings, diminishing lumber yields and values. Evaluating the potential for ring shake is essential to improving...

Change in oak abundance in the eastern United States from 1980 to 2008

Treesearch

Songlin Fei; Ningning Kong; Kim C. Steiner; W. Keith Moser; Eric B. Steiner

2011-01-01

Although oaks (Quercus spp.) have historically dominated much of the forest land in eastern North America, a great deal of fragmentary and sometimes anecdotal evidence suggests that they have been yielding dominance in recent decades to other, typically more shade-tolerant species. Using FIA data, our work formally quantifies the change in oak abundance in the eastern...

Ring shake in eastern hemlock: frequency and relationship to tree attributes

Treesearch

John E. Baumgras; Paul E. Sendak; David L. Sonderman

2000-01-01

Ring shake is a barrier to improved utilization of eastern hemlock, an important component of the total softwood timber resource in the Eastern United States and Canada. Ring shake is the lengthwise separation of wood that occurs between and parallel to growth rings, diminishing lumber yields and values. Evaluating the potential for ring shake is essential to improving...

Agreement between Eastern Michigan University and the Eastern Michigan University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, November, 1982.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Eastern Michigan University (EMU) and the EMU Chapter (600 members) of the AAUP covering the period November 18, 1982-August 31, 1985 is presented. Items covered are: unit recognition and definitions, EMU's right to manage, information provided to the union, union use of facilities/services, released…

A probabilistic multidimensional approach to quantify large wood recruitment from hillslopes in mountainous-forested catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cislaghi, Alessio; Rigon, Emanuel; Lenzi, Mario Aristide; Bischetti, Gian Battista

2018-04-01

Large wood (LW) plays a key role in physical, chemical, environmental, and biological processes in most natural and seminatural streams. However, it is also a source of hydraulic hazard in anthropised territories. Recruitment from fluvial processes has been the subject of many studies, whereas less attention has been given to hillslope recruitment, which is linked to episodic and spatially distributed events and requires a reliable and accurate slope stability model and a hillslope-channel transfer model. The purpose of this study is to develop an innovative LW hillslope-recruitment estimation approach that combines forest stand characteristics in a spatially distributed form, a probabilistic multidimensional slope stability model able to include the reinforcement exerted by roots, and a hillslope-channel transfer procedure. The approach was tested on a small mountain headwater catchment in the eastern Italian Alps that is prone to shallow landslide and debris flow phenomena. The slope stability model (that had not been calibrated) provided accurate performances, in terms of unstable areas identification according to the landslide inventory (AUC = 0.832) and of LW volume estimation in comparison with LW volume produced by inventoried landslides (7702 m3 corresponding to a recurrence time of about 30 years in the susceptibility curve). The results showed that most LW potentially mobilised by landslides does not reach the channel network (only about 16%), in agreement with the few data reported by other studies, as well as the data normalized for unit length of channel and unit length of channel per year (0-116 m3/km and 0-4 m3/km y-1). This study represents an important contribution to LW research. A rigorous and site-specific estimation of LW hillslope recruitment should, in fact, be an integral part of more general studies on LW dynamics, for forest planning and management, and positioning in-channel wood retention structures.

Thick-skinned tectonics in a Late Cretaceous-Neogene intracontinental belt (High Atlas Mountains, Morocco): The flat-ramp fault control on basement shortening and cover folding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fekkak, A.; Ouanaimi, H.; Michard, A.; Soulaimani, A.; Ettachfini, E. M.; Berrada, I.; El Arabi, H.; Lagnaoui, A.; Saddiqi, O.

2018-04-01

Most of the structural studies of the intracontinental High Atlas belt of Morocco have dealt with the central part of the belt, whose basement does not crop out. Here we study the Alpine deformation of the North Subatlas Zone, which is the part of the Western High Atlas (WHA) Paleozoic Massif that involves both Paleozoic basement units and remnants of their Mesozoic-Cenozoic cover formations. Our aim is to better constrain the geometry and kinematics of the basement faults during the Alpine shortening. Based on detail mapping, satellite imagery and field observations, we describe an array of sub-equatorial, transverse and oblique faults between the WHA Axial Zone and the Haouz Neogene basin. They define a mosaic of basement blocks pushed upon one another and upon the Haouz basement along the North Atlas Fault (NAF). The Axial Zone makes up the hanging-wall of the Adassil-Medinet Fault (AMF) south of this mosaic. The faults generally presents flat-ramp-flat geometry linked to the activation of multiple décollement levels, either within the basement where its foliation is subhorizontal or within favourable cover formations (Jurassic evaporites, Lower Cretaceous silty red beds, Upper Cretaceous evaporitic marls, Neogene basal argillites). The occurrence of the North Atlas detachment (NAD) allowed folded pop-up units to develop in front of the propagating NAF. Shortening began as early as the Campanian-Maastrichtian along the AMF. The direction of the maximum horizontal stress rotated from NNE-SSW to NNW-SSE from the Maastrichtian-Paleocene to the Neogene. The amount of shortening reaches 20% in the Azegour transect. This compares with the shortening amount published for the central-eastern High Atlas, suggesting that similar structures characterize the Paleozoic basement all along the belt. The WHA thick-skinned tectonics evokes that of the frontal Sevier belt and of the external Western Alps, although with a much minor pre-inversion burial.

Uneven-aged silviculture and management in the eastern United States: Proceedings of an In-Service Workshop; Morgantown, West Virginia; July 15-17, 1975

Treesearch

Warren T. Doolittle; A. P. Mustain; Carter B. Gibbs; David. A. Marquis; Barton M. Blum; Carl H. Tubbs; W. B. Leak; S. F. Gingrich; H. Clay Smith; Paul S. DeBald; LaMont G. Engle; Robert E. Phares

1975-01-01

The workshop, summarized in this Proceedings, represented a joint effort by personnel from Research, National Forest System, and State and Private Forestry, to review the state-of-the-art knowledge about the applicability of uneven-aged silviculture and management in the eastern United States. One major objective of this review was to develop a much better mutual...

Mapping 1995 global anthropogenic emissions of mercury

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pacyna, Jozef M.; Pacyna, Elisabeth G.; Steenhuisen, Frits; Wilson, Simon

This paper presents maps of anthropogenic Hg emissions worldwide within a 1°×1° latitude/longitude grid system in 1995. As such, the paper is designed for modelers simulating the Hg transport within air masses and Hg deposition to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Maps of total Hg emissions and its three main chemical species: elemental gaseous Hg, divalent gaseous Hg, and particle-associated Hg are presented. The main emissions occur in southeast Asia (particularly in China), South Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Eastern United States. These are the regions where coal combustion is the main source of electricity and heat production. Waste incineration adds to these emissions in the Eastern United States. Emissions of total Hg and its three species are quite similar in terms of their (global) spatial distributions. They reflect the worldwide distribution of coal consumption in large power plants, industrial burners, and small combustion units, such as residential and commercial furnaces.

Baseline and projected future carbon storage and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of the eastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zhu, Zhi-Liang; Reed, Bradley C.; Zhu, Zhi-Liang; Reed, Bradley C.

2014-01-01

This assessment was conducted to fulfill the requirements of section 712 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and to conduct a comprehensive national assessment of storage and flux (flow) of carbon and the fluxes of other greenhouse gases in ecosystems of the Eastern United States. These carbon and greenhouse gas variables were examined for major terrestrial ecosystems (forests, grasslands/shrublands, agricultural lands, and wetlands) and aquatic ecosystems (rivers, streams, lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters) in the Eastern United States in two time periods: baseline (from 2001 through 2005) and future (projections from the end of the baseline through 2050). The Great Lakes were not included in this assessment due to a lack of input data. The assessment was based on measured and observed data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and many other agencies and organizations and used remote sensing, statistical methods, and simulation models.

Detecting Evidence of Climate Change in the Forests of the Eastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, John W.; Osborne, Jesse D.

2008-01-01

Changes in land use or disturbances such as defoliation by insects, disease, or fire all affect the composition and amount of tree canopy in a forest. These changes are easy to detect. Noticing and understanding the complex ways that global or regional-scale climate change combines with these disturbances to affect forest growth patterns and succession is difficult. This is particularly true for regions where changes in climate are not the most extreme, such as the mid-latitude forests of the Eastern United States. If land and water resources are to be managed responsibly, it is important to know how well the impacts of climate change on these forests can be measured in order to provide the best information possible to respond to any future changes. The goal of this study is to test whether climate-induced changes in forests in the Eastern United States can be detected and characterized using satellite imagery.

Investigation on AlP as the heterogeneous nucleus of Mg2Si in Al-Mg2Si alloys by experimental observation and first-principles calculation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jiayue; Li, Chong; Liu, Xiangfa; Yu, Liming; Li, Huijun; Liu, Yongchang

2018-03-01

The microstructural evolution of primary Mg2Si in Al-20%Mg2Si with Al-3%P master alloy was observed by scanning electron microscope. And the interfacial properties of AlP/Mg2Si interface were investigated using first-principles calculations. The calculation results show that AlP(1 0 0)/Mg2Si(2 1 1) and AlP(3 3 1)/Mg2Si(1 1 0) interfaces can form steadily. P-terminated AlP(1 0 0)/Mg2Si(2 1 1) interface with the largest work of adhesion (4.13 J/m2) is theoretically the most stable. The interfacial electronic structure reveals that there are covalent Si-Al, Si-P and Mg-P bonds existing between AlP and Mg2Si slabs. Due to the AlP particles as effective heterogeneous nucleus of Mg2Si, primary Mg2Si particles change from dendrite to octahedron/truncated octahedron, and their sizes decrease to ∼20 μm.

Cutting-edge Kinetic Physics with Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter: The Arbitrary Linear Plasma Solver (ALPS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verscharen, D.; Klein, K. G.; Chandran, B. D. G.; Stevens, M. L.; Salem, C. S.; Bale, S. D.

2017-12-01

The Arbitrary Linear Plasma Solver (ALPS) is a parallelized numerical code that solves the dispersion relation in a hot (even relativistic) magnetized plasma with an arbitrary number of particle species with arbitrary gyrotropic equilibrium distribution functions for any direction of wave propagation with respect to the background field. In this way, ALPS retains generality and overcomes the shortcomings of previous (bi-)Maxwellian solvers for the plasma dispersion relations. The unprecedented high-resolution particle and field data products from Parker Solar Probe (PSP) and Solar Orbiter (SO) will require novel theoretical tools. ALPS is one such tool, and its use will make possible new investigations into the role of non-Maxwellian distributions in the near-Sun solar wind. It can be applied to numerous high-velocity-resolution systems, ranging from current space missions to numerical simulations. We will briefly discuss the ALPS algorithm and demonstrate its functionality based on previous solar-wind measurements. We will then highlight our plans for future applications of ALPS to PSP and SO observations.

78 FR 17999 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Northwest...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-25

... Carolina (United States), Quintana Roo and Yucatan (Mexico), Brazil, Cape Verde Islands (Cape Verde.... Additional nesting beaches are found along the eastern Mexico coast, particularly the eastern Yucatan...

Seismic hazard in the eastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mueller, Charles; Boyd, Oliver; Petersen, Mark D.; Moschetti, Morgan P.; Rezaeian, Sanaz; Shumway, Allison

2015-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey seismic hazard maps for the central and eastern United States were updated in 2014. We analyze results and changes for the eastern part of the region. Ratio maps are presented, along with tables of ground motions and deaggregations for selected cities. The Charleston fault model was revised, and a new fault source for Charlevoix was added. Background seismicity sources utilized an updated catalog, revised completeness and recurrence models, and a new adaptive smoothing procedure. Maximum-magnitude models and ground motion models were also updated. Broad, regional hazard reductions of 5%–20% are mostly attributed to new ground motion models with stronger near-source attenuation. The revised Charleston fault geometry redistributes local hazard, and the new Charlevoix source increases hazard in northern New England. Strong increases in mid- to high-frequency hazard at some locations—for example, southern New Hampshire, central Virginia, and eastern Tennessee—are attributed to updated catalogs and/or smoothing.

Sequence and functional analysis of intestinal alkaline phosphatase from Lateolabrax maculatus.

PubMed

Wu, Minglin; Wang, Jiaqi; Wang, Zhipeng; Zhao, Jinliang; Hu, Yuting; Chen, Xiaowu

2017-12-01

Alkaline phosphatases (Alps) belong to a class of phosphate transferases that dephosphorylate lipopolysaccharide (LPS), adenosine triphosphate, and nucleotides. In this study, a 1874-base pair (bp) intestinal alp cDNA sequence was cloned from Lateolabrax maculatus and designated as Lm-alpi. It contained a 1611 bp open reading frame which encoded a protein with 537 amino acids. Protein sequence alignment showed that Lm-AlpI shared 29.8-79.8% identity with its homologs. Lm-AlpI catalytic sites contained three metal ion sites (two Zn 2+ and one Mg 2+ ), referring to D73, H184, D348, H349, H352, H464, D389, and H390 residues, which are essential for enzymatic activity and conservation in different organisms. Two predicted disulfide bonds in Lm-AlpI were composed of four cysteines (C152-C214 and C499-C506), which were homologous to those of mammals. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that Lm-AlpI was mainly expressed on the mucosal surface of the gastrointestinal tract, including stomach, intestine, and gastric cecum. Lm-AlpI was mainly located on the plasma membrane of transiently transfected HeLa cells. The mRNA of Lm-alpi was mainly expressed in the intestine, and its expression levels gradually increased after LPS treatment and further increased by 1.81-fold after 48 h. After desalting culture, the relative mRNA expression level of Lm-alpi decreased at 30 and 50 days after hatching (DAH) and then returned to normal levels at 70 DAH. Further experiments demonstrated that the enzyme activity of Lm-AlpI exhibited an expression pattern similar to that of the mRNA expression of Lm-alpi after LPS treatment and desalting culture. This study provided valuable information on the Lm-AlpI functions associated with the mucosal immunity and salinity adaptation of L. maculatus.

Komatiites and nickel sulphide orebodies of the Black Swan area, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. 1. Petrology and volcanology of host rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, R. E. T.; Barnes, S. J.; Dowling, S. E.; Thordarson, T.

2004-11-01

The Black Swan Succession is a bimodal association of dacitic and komatiitic volcanic rocks located about 50 km NNE of Kalgoorlie, within the 2.7-Ga Eastern Goldfields greenstone province of the Yilgarn Craton. The komatiite stratigraphy comprises a steep dipping, east facing package about 700 m in maximum thickness and about 2.5 km in strike length (Fig. 1), which hosts a number of economically exploitable Ni sulphide orebodies including the Silver Swan massive ore shoot (approximately half a million tonnes at about 10.5% Ni). The sequence can be subdivided into a Lower Felsic Unit, comprising coherent and autobrecciated facies of multiple dacite lava flows; an upper Eastern and lower Western Ultramafic Unit, each showing marked lateral facies variation, and an Upper Felsic Unit coeval with the Eastern Ultramafic Unit. The komatiite sequence has been metamorphosed at sub-greenschist facies in the presence of high proportions of CO2-rich fluid, giving rise to pervasive talc carbonate and talc carbonate quartz assemblages, with extensive preservation of pseudomorphed igneous textures. Cores of lizardite serpentinite are present in the thickest parts of the ultramafic succession. The degree of penetrative deformation is generally very low, and original stratigraphic relationships are largely intact in much of the sequence. The Eastern Ultramafic Unit and Western Ultramafic Unit are interpreted as components of a single large komatiite flow field, representing overlapping stages in the emplacement of a series of distributory lava pathways and flanking sheet flows. The Western Ultramafic Unit which hosts the bulk of the high-grade massive and disseminated ores is a sequence dominated by coarse-grained olivine cumulates, 2 km wide and up to 500 m thick, with major magma pathways represented by thick, homogenous olivine mesocumulate piles at its northern and southern ends: respectively 400 and 200 m thick. The sequence between the two major pathways consists of olivine orthocumulates (oOC) with minor spinifex-textured intervals. The Unit is capped by a persistent spinifex-textured crust less than 1 m thick, and is locally vesicular. The Eastern Ultramafic Unit contains the Black Swan Cumulate Zone, a 500-m thick sequence of very coarse-grained hopper-textured, locally vesicular oOC containing disseminated sulphides in its lower 200 m. The zone is flanked to the north and south by complexly interdigitated sequence of highly irregular, spinifex-capped, olivine cumulate-rich flow lobes between 1 and 100 m thick, and dacitic lavas and tuffs. The complexity of the 3-D spatial relationship of these units suggests a combination of simultaneous eruption of dacite and komatiite, combined with thermal or thermomechanical erosion. The Eastern and Western Units are interpreted as the result of more or less continuous prolonged eruption of olivine charged komatiite lava, which developed localised thermo-mechanical erosion channels in the dacitic substrate. Komatiite and dacite eruption was synchronous, giving rise to complex interdigitation and extensive contamination and hybridisation.

Determination of regional Euler pole parameters for Eastern Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umnig, Elke; Weber, Robert; Schartner, Matthias; Brueckl, Ewald

2017-04-01

The horizontal motion of lithospheric plates can be described as rotations around a rotation axes through the Earth's center. The two possible points where this axes intersects the surface of the Earth are called Euler poles. The rotation is expressed by the Euler parameters in terms of angular velocities together with the latitude and longitude of the Euler pole. Euler parameters were calculated from GPS data for a study area in Eastern Austria. The observation network is located along the Mur-Mürz Valley and the Vienna Basin. This zone is part of the Vienna Transfer Fault, which is the major fault system between the Eastern Alps and the Carpathians. The project ALPAACT (seismological and geodetic monitoring of ALpine-PAnnonian ACtive Tectonics) investigated intra plate tectonic movements within the Austrian part in order to estimate the seismic hazard. Precise site coordinate time series established from processing 5 years of GPS observations are available for the regional network spanning the years from 2010.0 to 2015.0. Station velocities with respect to the global reference frame ITRF2008 have been computed for 23 sites. The common Euler vector was estimated on base of a subset of reliable site velocities, for stations directly located within the area of interest. In a further step a geokinematic interpretation shall be carried out. Therefore site motions with respect to the Eurasian Plate are requested. To obtain this motion field different variants are conceivable. In a simple approach the mean ITRF2008 velocity of IGS site GRAZ can be adopted as Eurasian rotational velocity. An improved alternative is to calculate site-specific velocity differences between the Euler rotation and the individual site velocities. In this poster presentation the Euler parameters, the residual motion field as well as first geokinematic interpretation results are presented.

Latest Pannonian and Quaternary evolution at the transition between Eastern Alps and Pannonian Basin: new insights from geophysical, sedimentological and geochronological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zámolyi, A.; Salcher, B.; Draganits, E.; Exner, U.; Wagreich, M.; Gier, S.; Fiebig, M.; Lomax, J.; Surányi, G.; Diel, M.; Zámolyi, F.

2017-07-01

The transition zone between Eastern Alps and Pannonian Basin is a key area for the investigation of the interplay between regional uplift, local tectonic subsidence and depositional environment. Our study area, the western margin of the Little Hungarian Plain, is characterized by gentle hills, plateaus and depressions, of which several are filled by lakes—including one of Austria's largest and shallowest lakes, Lake Neusiedl. Geological investigation is hampered by the scarcity of outcrops, and thus direct observation of sedimentological or structural features is difficult. Despite a long research history in the area, a consistent landscape evolution model considering all relevant constraints is lacking so far. In this study, we apply multidisciplinary methods to decipher the complex tectonic and fluvial depositional evolution of the region. Local data from shallow-lake drilling and seismic investigation are combined with regional data from industrial seismics and core data to gain new insights into the latest Pannonian (Late Miocene) and Quaternary evolution. Shallow-lake seismic data show the erosionally truncated Pannonian sediments dipping and thickening toward southeast, toward the modern depocenter of the Little Hungarian Plain. Overlying Quaternary fluvial sediments show a very similar thickening trend except for the area on the plateau north of the lake indicating ongoing subsidence in major parts of the basin. Drill cores from locations along the lake seismic lines were analyzed concerning their age, mineralogy and heavy minerals and compared with outcrop samples from the surrounding plains and the plateau to derive indications on sediment provenance. A key observation is the apparent lack of a significant gravel layer on top of the tilted Pannonian sediments beneath Lake Neusiedl. Small-scale faults can be observed in the lake seismic sections along with key sedimentary features. Significant differences of the current elevation of the top Pannonian between the surrounding plains and the plateau indicate post-Pannonian normal faulting, which is a key process in shaping the present-day morphology of the region. Luminescence ages of samples from the Quaternary fluvial gravels on top of the Pannonian sediments are a significantly higher (>300 ka) compared to the gravels in the plain (102 ± 11 and 76 ± 8 ka), suggesting ongoing tectonic subsidence.

Trends in cooling degree-days for five locations in Croatia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cvitan, L.

2010-09-01

The cooling degree-days (CDD) and number of cooling days (CD) over the period 1901-2008 are analyzed at five stations that represent different climatic regions in Croatia. The stations under consideration are: Osijek in the southern lowland of Pannonian Plain, Zagreb - Grič at the furthest south-eastern edge of the Julian Alps, Gospić in highland - hinterland of the Dinaric Alps, Crikvenica on the north-eastern Adriatic coast and Hvar on the mid - Adriatic island with the same name. Calculation of CDDs and counting of CDs are performed for the 18° C, 21° C and 23° C temperature thresholds that represent daily mean air temperature. Daily mean temperature (M) is calculated by using daily temperatures measured at 7 a.m. (t7), 2 p.m. (t14) and 9 p.m. (t21), in the following way: M=(t7+t14+2t21)/4. Linear trends over the period 1901-2008 are determined for each month as well as for the whole year (annual trend). Statistical significances of the trends are tested using the non-parametric Mann - Kendal test. For the months with the greatest potential cooling demands - June, July and August, the increasing trend is detected for almost all analyzed values at five locations. Namely, only for the August CD (threshold 18° C) for Hvar area and for the June and August CDDs (threshold 23° C) for Gospić area are detected slightly decreasing trends. Most slightly decreasing trends are discovered for September for both parameters at Osijek, Zagreb and Gospić area. Annual trends in both parameters for all locations are increasing, except the annual Gospić CDD (threshold 23° C) trend that is slightly decreasing. According to the Mann - Kendal test neither of the annual trends in CDD and CD for three temperature thresholds are statistically significant at 0.05 significance level in Gospić and Osijek. On the contrary, all of the mentioned annual trends are significant in Zagreb and Crikvenica, and almost all in Hvar (except trends in CD for the 21° C and 23° C thresholds). Months with the significant trends in most of analyzed values are: May and June in Osijek, May, June and July in Zagreb, June in Gospić, June, July and August in Crikvenica and July in Hvar.

Structural and exhumational response to oroclinal bending at the Eastern Alps - Western Carpathian transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heberer, Bianca; Neubauer, Franz

2017-04-01

Curvature is an intriguing feature within many mountain belts worldwide. Several proposals have been made for deciphering the origin of curvature, however, there is still significant debate about the bend-forming mechanisms, the consequences as well as on how bending is accommodated within the lithosphere. Only few of the worldwide oroclines have been studied in detail and a variety of alternative controlling factors, such as the role of inherited structures, the rheological coupling between lower and upper plates, the presence of a basement promontory in the foreland and its particular geometry, and lateral orogen-parallel extrusion are likely underestimated or not considered at all. This study focuses on oroclinal bending at the transition from the W-E trending Eastern Alps to the SW-NE oriented Western Carpathians. There, the orogenic front is concave towards the Alpine foreland and the greatest degree of curvature (ca. 55°) is found adjacent to the Bohemian massif. The oroclinal axis runs from the Bohemian promontory to the South Burgenland high. Various competing mechanisms occurred, i.e. rotation around a stiff foreland promontory and lateral extrusion induced by tectonic escape due to the indentation of a microplate and extensional collapse due to slab-rollback beneath the Carpathians. Little is known for such cases, where bending around as well as overriding of a promontory occurs, particularly on how it controls the exhumational and structural architecture within the orogen itself. Based on a synthesis of low-T thermochronology and structural data we find a significant impact of oroclinal bending on exhumation and structures: Highest amounts of erosion occur in the immediate vicinity of the Bohemian promontory and along its prolongation in the South Burgenland high, corroborating that shortening and exhumation are most pronounced there and should decrease along-strike of the orogenic front. In the outer bend strong Miocene extensional thinning parallel to the orogen occurred contemporaneously with sediment deposition to the east (Danube basin) and west (Styrian basin) of the oroclinal axis. We speculate that the location of extension at least from the Vienna and Danube basins are in part controlled by Jurassic extensional structures. The central sector along the oroclinal axis is largely overprinted by lateral block extrusion where the influence of oroclinal bending and a protruding promontory in the subsurface has yet to be demonstrated.

Linguistic, geographic and genetic isolation: a collaborative study of Italian populations.

PubMed

Capocasa, Marco; Anagnostou, Paolo; Bachis, Valeria; Battaggia, Cinzia; Bertoncini, Stefania; Biondi, Gianfranco; Boattini, Alessio; Boschi, Ilaria; Brisighelli, Francesca; Caló, Carla Maria; Carta, Marilisa; Coia, Valentina; Corrias, Laura; Crivellaro, Federica; De Fanti, Sara; Dominici, Valentina; Ferri, Gianmarco; Francalacci, Paolo; Franceschi, Zelda Alice; Luiselli, Donata; Morelli, Laura; Paoli, Giorgio; Rickards, Olga; Robledo, Renato; Sanna, Daria; Sanna, Emanuele; Sarno, Stefania; Sineo, Luca; Taglioli, Luca; Tagarelli, Giuseppe; Tofanelli, Sergio; Vona, Giuseppe; Pettener, Davide; Destro Bisol, Giovanni

2014-01-01

The animal and plant biodiversity of the Italian territory is known to be one of the richest in the Mediterranean basin and Europe as a whole, but does the genetic diversity of extant human populations show a comparable pattern? According to a number of studies, the genetic structure of Italian populations retains the signatures of complex peopling processes which took place from the Paleolithic to modern era. Although the observed patterns highlight a remarkable degree of genetic heterogeneity, they do not, however, take into account an important source of variation. In fact, Italy is home to numerous ethnolinguistic minorities which have yet to be studied systematically. Due to their difference in geographical origin and demographic history, such groups not only signal the cultural and social diversity of our country, but they are also potential contributors to its bio-anthropological heterogeneity. To fill this gap, research groups from four Italian Universities (Bologna, Cagliari, Pisa and Roma Sapienza) started a collaborative study in 2007, which was funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research and received partial support by the Istituto Italiano di Antropologia. In this paper, we present an account of the results obtained in the course of this initiative. Four case-studies relative to linguistic minorities from the Eastern Alps, Sardinia, Apennines and Southern Italy are first described and discussed, focusing on their micro-evolutionary and anthropological implications. Thereafter, we present the results of a systematic analysis of the relations between linguistic, geographic and genetic isolation. Integrating the data obtained in the course of the long-term study with literature and unpublished results on Italian populations, we show that a combination of linguistic and geographic factors is probably responsible for the presence of the most robust signatures of genetic isolation. Finally, we evaluate the magnitude of the diversity of Italian populations in the European context. The human genetic diversity of our country was found to be greater than observed throughout the continent at short (0-200 km) and intermediate (700-800km) distances, and accounted for most of the highest values of genetic distances observed at all geographic ranges. Interestingly, an important contribution to this pattern comes from the "linguistic islands"( e.g. German speaking groups of Sappada and Luserna from the Eastern Italian Alps), further proof of the importance of considering social and cultural factors when studying human genetic variation.

Mountain Rivers and Climate Change: Analysis of hazardous events in torrents of small alpine watersheds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutzmann, Silke; Sass, Oliver

2016-04-01

Torrential processes like flooding, heavy bedload transport or debris flows in steep mountain channels emerge during intense, highly localized rainfall events. They pose a serious risk on the densely populated Alpine region. Hydrogeomorphic hazards are profoundly nonlinear, threshold mediated phenomena frequently causing costly damage to infrastructure and people. Thus, in the context of climate change, there is an ever rising interest in whether sediment cascades of small alpine catchments react to changing precipitation patterns and how the climate signal is propagated through the fluvial system. We intend to answer the following research questions: (i) What are critical meteorological characteristics triggering torrential events in the Eastern Alps of Austria? (ii) The effect of external triggers is strongly mediated by the internal disposition of catchments to respond. Which factors control the internal susceptibility? (iii) Do torrential processes show an increase in magnitude and frequency or a shift in seasonality in the recent past? (iv) Which future changes can be expected under different climate scenarios? Quantifications of bedload transport in small alpine catchments are rare and often associated with high uncertainties. Detailed knowledge though exists for the Schöttlbach catchment, a 71 km2 study area in Styria in the Eastern Alps. The torrent is monitored since a heavy precipitation event resulted in a disastrous flood in July 2011. Sediment mobilisation from slopes as well as within-channel storage and fluxes are regularly measured by photogrammetric methods and sediment impact sensors (SIS). The associated hydro-meteorological conditions are known from a dense station network. Changing states of connectivity can thus be related to precipitation and internal dynamics (sediment availability, cut-and-fill cycles). The site-specific insights are then conceptualized for application to a broader scale. Therefore, a Styria wide database of torrential events dating back several decades is analysed. Precipitation thresholds varying in space and time are established using highly resolved INCA data of the Austrian weather service. Parameters possibly controlling the basic susceptibility of catchments are evaluated in a regional GIS analysis (vegetation, geology, topography, stream network, proxies for sediment availability). Similarity measures are then used to group catchments into sensitivity classes. Applying different climate scenarios, the spatiotemporal distribution of catchments sensitive towards heavier and more frequent precipitation can be determined giving valuable advice for planning and managing mountain protection zones.

Cockade-textured cataclasite and silica gel from damage zone in carbonated ultramafics: markers of cycles of seismic activity?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scarsi, Marco; Crispini, Laura; Garofalo, Paolo; Capponi, Giovanni

2016-04-01

Shallow crustal processes occurring during seismic slips and generating fracture networks are of great interest due to their complex interplay with a spectrum of other geological processes . Our study focuses on faults with peculiar core textures, similar to those of "cockade breccia" (Genna et al., 1996) and "clast cortex grains" (Rempe et al., 2014), and on their relation with syntectonic hydrothermal alteration linked with Au bearing-quartz and chalcedony veins. Our work aims to study the enviromental conditions for the formation of such peculiar texture, their relation with the hydrothermal vein system and their potential as shallow seismic indicators. We present field, microstructural and petrochemical data of a peculiar damage zone of fault rocks located in carbonated peridotites and serpentinites of the Ligurian Alps (Voltri Massif, Italy). These are mainly reverse faults, which are coeval with syntectonic Au-bearing quartz veins and chalcedony veins (Giorza et al., 2010), in which lherzolites occupy the hangingwall of the faults and serpentinites the footwall. The fault rocks show evidence for carbonation, as olivine and serpentine are clearly transformed into an assemblage made of magnesite, dolomite and minor ankerite. The damage zones of the faults are serpentinite-rich and about 10 m in thickness, while the cataclasite cores are carbonate-rich and ca. 1 m thick. The top of the fault core shows the occurrence of a chalcedony shear veins with chatter marks and slikenlines on the surface. The "cockade breccia" is made of spherical aggregates of Fe-Mg carbonates and are 1 mm to 3 cm in size. These aggregates show cores of microcrystalline Fe-Mg carbonates, and concentric outer layers of relatively coarser Fe-Mg carbonates with radial or laminated texture. In some cases, these aggregates show evidence for rotation along secondary slip zones. We interpret all these features as the products of chemical interaction between the olivine and serpentine initially present within the fault rocks and the hydrothermal fluid that flowed within these faults. These interactions were probably similar to those occurring within the coeval Au- and chalcedony veins. Field evidence and theoretical considerations indicate that the reverse faults could have experienced stages of fault-valve behaviour (Sibson et al., 1998), which consisted in cycles of fluid pressure build-ups, fault opening, fluid flushing, and mineral precipitation during the seismic failure of the faults. These cycles varied transiently fault permeabilities. During the fluid pressure build up stage the radial coarse grains developed, while during the fluid flushing stage the clast cortex grains developed their laminated texture. The Au-quartz and chalcedony veins could have formed during the stages of fluid pressure drops following fault slip (Sibson et al., 1998, 2004). References Capponi G. & Crispini L., 1997, Progressive shear deformation in the metasediments of the Voltri Group (Ligurian Alps, Italy): occurence of structure recording extension parallel to the regional foliation, Boll. Soc. Geol. It., 116, 267-277. Genna A., Jébrack M., Marcoux E., Milési J.P., 1996, Genesis of cockade breccias in the tectonic evolution of the Cirotan epithermal gold system, West Java, Can. Journ. of Earth Sci., 33, 93-102. Giorza A., 2010, Late to post-metamorphic hydrotermalism in the Voltri Unit (Lavagnina Lakes Area, NW Alps). Structural-Petrological-Geochemical approach, PhD Thesis, University of Turin. Rempe M., Smith S. A. F., Ferri F., Mitchell T. M., 2014, Clast-cortex aggregates in experimental and natural calcite-bearing fault zones, Journ. Of Struct. Geol., 68, 142-157. Sibson R. H., 2004, Controls of maximum fluid overpressure defining conditions for mesozonal mineralization, Journ. of Struct. Geol., 26, 6-7, 1127-1136. Sibson R. H., Robert F., Poulsen H., 1998, High-angle reverse faults, fluid-pressure cycling, and mesothermal gold-quartz deposits, Geology, 16, 551-555. Spagnolo C., 2006, Late orogenic tectonics in the eastern sector of the Ligurian Alps, PhD Thesis, Univesity of Genoa.

Histoplasmosis - acute (primary) pulmonary

MedlinePlus

... the central and eastern United States, eastern Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. It is commonly found in the soil in river valleys. It gets into the soil mostly from bird and bat droppings. You can get sick when ...

Fire in eastern oak forests: delivering science to land managers

Treesearch

Matthew B., ed. Dickinson

2006-01-01

Contains 20 papers and 36 poster abstracts presented at a conference on fire in oak forests of the Eastern United States that was held at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, on November 15-17, 2005.

Ecological and ecophysiological attributes and responses to fire in eastern oak forests

Treesearch

Marc D. Abrams

2006-01-01

Prior to European settlement vast areas of the eastern U. S. deciduous forest were dominated by oak species. Evidence indicates that periodic understory fire was an important ecological factor in the historical development of oak forests. During European settlement of the late 19th and early 20th century, much of the Eastern United States was impacted by land clearing...

Eastern White Pine Flowering in Response to Spray Application of Gibbrellin A4/7 or ProconeTM

Treesearch

Paula M. Pijut

2002-01-01

Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) is an important forestry species in the northeastern and midwestern United States and in eastern Canada. Induction of early and reliable flowering and cone production will shorten the breeding cycle and aid in the development of genetically improved white pine. The objective of this study was to determine if a...

Climate change and associated fire potential for the south-eastern United States in the 21st century

Treesearch

Anthony P. Bedel; Thomas L. Mote; Scott L. Goodrick

2013-01-01

Climate models indicate that the climate of the south-eastern US will experience increasing temperatures and associated evapotranspiration in the 21st century. The current study found that conditions in the south-eastern US will likely become drier overall, given a warmer environment during future winter and spring seasons. This study examined the potential effects of...

Apoptosis may determine the release of skeletal alkaline phosphatase activity from human osteoblast-line cells.

PubMed

Farley, J R; Stilt-Coffing, B

2001-01-01

Although quantitative measurement of skeletal alkaline phosphatase (sALP) activity in serum can provide an index of the rate of bone formation, the metabolic process that determines the release of sALP - from the surface of osteoblasts, into circulation-is unknown. The current studies were intended to examine the hypothesis that the release of sALP from human osteoblasts is a consequence of apoptotic cell death. We measured the release of sALP activity from human osteosarcoma (SaOS-2) cells and normal human bone cells, under basal conditions and in response to agents that increased apoptosis (TNF-a, okadiac acid) and agents that inhibit apoptosis (IGF-I, calpain, and caspase inhibitors). Apoptosis was determined by the presence of nucleosomes (histone-associated DNA) in the cytoplasm of the cells by using a commercial kit. The results of these studies showed that TNF-a and okadiac acid caused dose- and time-dependent increases in apoptosis in the SaOS-2 cells (r = 0.78 for doses of TNF-a and r = 0.93 for doses of okadiac acid, P <0.005 for each), with associated decreases in cell layer protein (P <0.05 for each) and concomitant increases in the release of sALP activity (e.g., r = 0.89 for TNF-a and r = 0.75 for okadiac acid, P <0.001 for each). In contrast, caspase and calpain inhibitors reduced apoptosis, increased cell layer protein, and decreased the release of sALP activity (P <0.05 for each). Exposure to IGF-I also decreased apoptosis, in a time- and dose-dependent manner (e.g., r = 0.93, P <0.001 for IGF-I doses), with associated proportional effects to increase cell layer protein (P <0.001) and decrease the release of sALP activity (P <0.001). IGF-I also inhibited the actions of TNF-a and okadiac acid to increase apoptosis and sALP release. The associations between apoptosis and sALP release were not unique to osteosarcoma (i.e., SaOS-2) cells, but also seen with osteoblast-line cells derived from normal human bone. Together, these data demonstrate that the release of sALP activity from human osteoblast-line cells in vitro is associated with, and may be a consequence of, apoptotic cell death. These findings are consistent with the general hypothesis that the appearance of sALP activity in serum may reflect the turnover of osteoblast-line cells.

Imaging of Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in Bone Tissue

PubMed Central

Gade, Terence P.; Motley, Matthew W.; Beattie, Bradley J.; Bhakta, Roshni; Boskey, Adele L.; Koutcher, Jason A.; Mayer-Kuckuk, Philipp

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a paradigm for quantitative molecular imaging of bone cell activity. We hypothesized the feasibility of non-invasive imaging of the osteoblast enzyme alkaline phosphatase (ALP) using a small imaging molecule in combination with 19Flourine magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (19FMRSI). 6, 8-difluoro-4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate (DiFMUP), a fluorinated ALP substrate that is activatable to a fluorescent hydrolysis product was utilized as a prototype small imaging molecule. The molecular structure of DiFMUP includes two Fluorine atoms adjacent to a phosphate group allowing it and its hydrolysis product to be distinguished using 19Fluorine magnetic resonance spectroscopy (19FMRS) and 19FMRSI. ALP-mediated hydrolysis of DiFMUP was tested on osteoblastic cells and bone tissue, using serial measurements of fluorescence activity. Extracellular activation of DiFMUP on ALP-positive mouse bone precursor cells was observed. Concurringly, DiFMUP was also activated on bone derived from rat tibia. Marked inhibition of the cell and tissue activation of DiFMUP was detected after the addition of the ALP inhibitor levamisole. 19FMRS and 19FMRSI were applied for the non-invasive measurement of DiFMUP hydrolysis. 19FMRS revealed a two-peak spectrum representing DiFMUP with an associated chemical shift for the hydrolysis product. Activation of DiFMUP by ALP yielded a characteristic pharmacokinetic profile, which was quantifiable using non-localized 19FMRS and enabled the development of a pharmacokinetic model of ALP activity. Application of 19FMRSI facilitated anatomically accurate, non-invasive imaging of ALP concentration and activity in rat bone. Thus, 19FMRSI represents a promising approach for the quantitative imaging of bone cell activity during bone formation with potential for both preclinical and clinical applications. PMID:21799916

Serial serum alkaline phosphatase as an early biomarker for osteopenia of prematurity.

PubMed

Abdallah, Enas A A; Said, Reem N; Mosallam, Dalia S; Moawad, Eman M I; Kamal, Naglaa M; Fathallah, Mohammed G E-D

2016-09-01

Metabolic bone disease of prematurity is a condition characterized by reduction in bone mineral content (osteopenia). It is a problem faced by very low birth weight (VLBW) infants because of lack of fetal mineralization during the last trimester. Our aim was to assess serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level as an early biomarker for osteopenia in premature infants and to estimate an optimal cutoff value of serum ALP at which osteopenia is detected radiologically in premature newborns.This prospective study was conducted on a cohort of 120 newborn infants of both sex of ≤34 weeks' gestational age and <1500 g birth weight. Two blood samples, from each infant on at least 2 consecutive weeks, were reported for calcium, phosphorus, and ALP. Evidence of osteopenia was evaluated radiologically by performing wrist/knee x-ray.Sixteen infants (13.3%) had evidence of osteopenia in x-ray, whereas 104 infants (86.7%) were nonosteopenic and all the osteopenic infants were <1000-g birth weight. Birth weight and gestational age were significantly inversely related to serum ALP levels. Both samples showed statistically significantly higher mean ALP level in osteopenic than nonosteopenics (P < 0.001, and P < 0.001 respectively). There was no constant value of serum ALP related to radiologic evidence of osteopenia. However, the optimal cutoff value of serum ALP at which osteopenia is detected is 500 IU/L with 100% sensitivity and 80.77% specificity.High levels of ALP can be considered a reliable biomarker to predict the status of bone mineralization and the need for radiological evaluation in premature infants particularly those <1000-g birth weight and <32 weeks' gestation.

Heterologous expression and structure-function relationship of low-temperature and alkaline active protease from Acinetobacter sp. IHB B 5011(MN12).

PubMed

Salwan, Richa; Sharma, Vivek; Pal, Mohinder; Kasana, Ramesh Chand; Yadav, Sudesh Kumar; Gulati, Arvind

2018-02-01

The gene encoding protease from Acinetobacter sp. IHB B 5011(MN12) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The nucleotide sequence revealed 1323bp ORF encoding 441 amino acids protein with molecular weight 47.2kDa. The phylogenetic analysis showed clustering of Alp protease with subtilisin-like serine proteases of S8 family. The amino acid sequence was comprised of N-terminal signal peptide 1-21 amino acids, pre-peptide 22-143 amino acids, peptidase S8 domain 144-434 amino acids, and pro-peptide 435-441 amino acids at C-terminus. Three constructs with signal peptide pET-Alp, without signal peptide pET-Alp1 and peptidase S8 domain pET-Alp2 were prepared for expression in E. coli BL21(DE3). The recombinant proteins Alp1 and Alp2 expressed as inclusion bodies showed ∼50kDa and ∼40kDa bands, respectively. The pre-propeptide ∼11kDa removed from Alp1 resulted in mature protein of ∼35kDa with 1738Umg -1 specific activity. The recombinant protease was optimally active at 40°C and pH 9, and stable over 10-70°C and 6-12pH. The activity at low-temperature and alkaline pH was supported by high R/(R+K) ratio, more glycine, less proline, negatively charged amino acids, less salt bridges and longer loops. These properties suggested the suitability of Alp as additive in the laundry. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium-Amiodarone, Lidocaine or Placebo Study (ROC-ALPS): Rationale and methodology behind an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest antiarrhythmic drug trial.

PubMed

Kudenchuk, Peter J; Brown, Siobhan P; Daya, Mohamud; Morrison, Laurie J; Grunau, Brian E; Rea, Tom; Aufderheide, Tom; Powell, Judy; Leroux, Brian; Vaillancourt, Christian; Larsen, Jonathan; Wittwer, Lynn; Colella, M Riccardo; Stephens, Shannon W; Gamber, Mark; Egan, Debra; Dorian, Paul

2014-05-01

Despite their wide use, whether antiarrhythmic drugs improve survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is not known. The ROC-ALPS is evaluating the effectiveness of these drugs for OHCA due to shock-refractory ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VF/VT). ALPS will randomize 3,000 adults across North America with nontraumatic OHCA, persistent or recurring VF/VT after ≥1 shock, and established vascular access to receive up to 450 mg amiodarone, 180 mg lidocaine, or placebo in the field using a double-blind protocol, along with standard resuscitation measures. The designated target population is all eligible randomized recipients of any dose of ALPS drug whose initial OHCA rhythm was VF/VT. A safety analysis includes all randomized patients regardless of their eligibility, initial arrhythmia, or actual receipt of ALPS drug. The primary outcome of ALPS is survival to hospital discharge; a secondary outcome is functional survival at discharge assessed as a modified Rankin Scale score ≤3. The principal aim of ALPS is to determine if survival is improved by amiodarone compared with placebo; secondary aim is to determine if survival is improved by lidocaine vs placebo and/or by amiodarone vs lidocaine. Prioritizing comparisons in this manner acknowledges where differences in outcome are most expected based on existing knowledge. Each aim also represents a clinically relevant comparison between treatments that is worth investigating. Results from ALPS will provide important information about the choice and value of antiarrhythmic therapies for VF/VT arrest with direct implications for resuscitation guidelines and clinical practice. Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ammonium carbonate is more attractive than apple and hawthorn fruit volatile lures to Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Washington State.

PubMed

Yee, Wee L; Nash, Meralee J; Goughnour, Robert B; Cha, Dong H; Linn, Charles E; Feder, Jeffrey L

2014-08-01

The apple maggot fly, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), is an introduced, quarantine pest of apple (Malus domestica Borkhausen) in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. In the eastern United States where the fly is native, fruit volatiles have been reported to be more attractive than ammonia compounds to R. pomonella. However, the opposite may be true in the western United States. Here, we determined whether newly identified western apple and western hawthorn fruit volatiles are more attractive than ammonium carbonate (AC) to R. pomonella in apple, black hawthorn, and ornamental hawthorn trees in western Washington State. In all three host trees, sticky red sphere or yellow panel traps baited with AC generally caught more flies than traps baited with lures containing the four newly developed fruit blends (modified eastern apple, western apple, western ornamental hawthorn, and western black hawthorn) or two older blends (eastern apple and eastern downy hawthorn). Fruit volatiles also displayed more variation among trapping studies conducted at different sites, in different host trees, and across years than AC. The results imply that traps baited with AC represent the best approach to monitoring R. pomonella in Washington State.

A review of the siricid woodwasps and their Ibaliid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Siricidae, Ibaliidae) in the Eastern United States, with emphasis on the Mid-Atlantic Region

Treesearch

David R. Smith; Nathan M. Schiff

2002-01-01

Keys are presented for the five genera and 15 species of adult Siricidae and one genus and two species of their parasitoids of the family Ibaliidae that occur in or may be adventive in the Eastern United States. Sircid larvae are wood borers in conifers and broadleafed trees. Notes on their biology, fungal symbionts, distributions, and host associations are given. Data...

Understanding the relationships between American ginseng harvest and hardwood forests inventory and timber harvest to improve co-management of the forests of eastern United States

Treesearch

James L. Chamberlain; Stephen Prisley; Michael McGuffin

2013-01-01

The roots of American ginseng have been harvested from the hardwood forests of eastern United States, along-side timber, since the mid-1700s. Very little is known about this non-timber commodity relative to timber, although significant volumes of ginseng root have been harvested from the same forests along with timber. The harvest of ginseng correlated positively and...

Extragalactic photon-ALP conversion at CTA energies

DOE PAGES

Kartavtsev, A.; Raffelt, G.; Vogel, H.

2017-01-12

Magnetic fields in extragalactic space between galaxy clusters may induce conversions between photons and axion-like particles (ALPs), thereby shielding the photons from absorption on the extragalactic background light. For TeV gamma rays, the oscillation length (l osc) of the photon-ALP system becomes inevitably of the same order as the coherence length of the magnetic field l and the length over which the field changes significantly (transition length l t) due to refraction on background photons. We derive exact statistical evolution equations for the mean and variance of the photon and ALP transfer functions in the non-adiabatic regime (l osc ~more » l >> l t). We also make analytical predictions for the transfer functions in the quasi-adiabatic regime (l osc

Canine osteosarcoma cell lines from patients with differing serum alkaline phosphatase concentrations display no behavioral differences in vitro

PubMed Central

Holmes, Katie E.; Thompson, Victoria; Piskun, Caroline M.; Kohnken, Rebecca A.; Huelsmeyer, Michael K.; Fan, Timothy M.; Stein, Timothy J.

2013-01-01

Osteosarcoma is an aggressive malignancy and represents the most frequent primary bone malignancy of dogs and humans. Prognostic factors reported for osteosarcoma include tumor size, presence of metastatic disease, and serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentration at the time of diagnosis. To date, there have been no studies to determine whether the behavior of osteosarcoma cells differ based on serum ALP concentration. Here we report on the generation of six canine osteosarcoma cell lines from osteosarcoma-bearing dogs with differences in serum ALP concentration. To determine whether in vitro behavior differs between primary osteosarcoma cell lines generated from patients with normal or increased serum ALP assays were performed to evaluate proliferation, migration, invasion, and chemosensitivity. There were no significant differences in cell proliferation, migration, invasion, or chemosensitivity between cell lines associated normal or increased serum ALP concentration. PMID:23489774

Alkaline phosphatase activity in human colostrum as a valuable predictive biomarker for lactational mastitis in nursing mothers.

PubMed

Bjelakovic, Ljiljana; Kocic, Gordana; Bjelakovic, Bojko; Zivkovic, Nikola; Stojanović, Dusica; Sokolovic, Danka; Mladenovic-Ciric, Ivana; Sokolovic, Dusan

2012-08-01

Biochemical investigations have shown that an indigenous milk enzyme - alkaline phosphatase (ALP) - which is detectable in the lactocytes, plays a very important diagnostic role in clinical medicine, since its activity varies in different tissues and serves as a specific indicator of disease states. The purpose of this study was to evaluate ALP activity in human colostrum as a possible early predictive biomarker for lactational mastitis in nursing mothers. During a period from May to July 2010, a total of 60 healthy nursing mothers were recruited for this study. The mean level of colostrum ALP activity from the affected breasts was significantly higher when compared with ALP activity from the contralateral asymptomatic as well as 'healthy' breasts (p < 0.01). Determining ALP activity in colostrum could be a valuable biochemical marker for an early prediction of mastitis in nursing mothers.

Production Experiences with the Cray-Enabled TORQUE Resource Manager

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ezell, Matthew A; Maxwell, Don E; Beer, David

High performance computing resources utilize batch systems to manage the user workload. Cray systems are uniquely different from typical clusters due to Cray s Application Level Placement Scheduler (ALPS). ALPS manages binary transfer, job launch and monitoring, and error handling. Batch systems require special support to integrate with ALPS using an XML protocol called BASIL. Previous versions of Adaptive Computing s TORQUE and Moab batch suite integrated with ALPS from within Moab, using PERL scripts to interface with BASIL. This would occasionally lead to problems when all the components would become unsynchronized. Version 4.1 of the TORQUE Resource Manager introducedmore » new features that allow it to directly integrate with ALPS using BASIL. This paper describes production experiences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory using the new TORQUE software versions, as well as ongoing and future work to improve TORQUE.« less

Age and prematurity of the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hergarten, Stefan; Stüwe, Kurt; Wagner, Thomas

2010-05-01

Although the Alps are among the best studied mountain ranges on Earth, the age of their topography is almost unknown. Even their relative stage of evolution is unclear: Are the Alps still growing, in a steady state or even decaying? Using the mean slope at given catchment size as a new geomorphic parameter we analyse the topography of the Alps. Our analysis provides one of the first quantitative constraints that shows that the range is still in its infancy: In contrast to several other mountain ranges, the Alps have still more than half of their evolution to a geomorphic steady state to go. Combining our results with sediment data from the surrounding accumulation spaces we infer that the formation of substantial topography began only 5-6 million years ago. Our results challenge a general consensus that the topographic evolution is distributed over much of the Miocene.

A segmental pattern of alkaline phosphatase activity within the notochord coincides with the initial formation of the vertebral bodies.

PubMed

Grotmol, Sindre; Nordvik, Kari; Kryvi, Harald; Totland, Geir K

2005-05-01

This study shows that segmental expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity by the notochord of the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) coincides with the initial mineralization of the vertebral body (chordacentrum), and precedes ALP expression by presumed somite-derived cells external to the notochordal sheath. The early expression of ALP indicates that the notochord plays an instructive role in the segmental patterning of the vertebral column. The chordacentra form segmentally as mineralized rings within the notochordal sheath, and ALP activity spreads within the chordoblast layer from ventral to dorsal, displaying the same progression and spatial distribution as the mineralization process. No ALP activity was observed in sclerotomal mesenchyme surrounding the notochordal sheath during initial formation of the chordacentra. Our results support previous findings indicating that the chordoblasts initiate a segmental differentiation of the notochordal sheath into chordacentra and intervertebral regions.

A fluorescent graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet biosensor for highly sensitive, label-free detection of alkaline phosphatase.

PubMed

Xiang, Mei-Hao; Liu, Jin-Wen; Li, Na; Tang, Hao; Yu, Ru-Qin; Jiang, Jian-Hui

2016-02-28

Graphitic C3N4 (g-C3N4) nanosheets provide an attractive option for bioprobes and bioimaging applications. Utilizing highly fluorescent and water-dispersible ultrathin g-C3N4 nanosheets, a highly sensitive, selective and label-free biosensor has been developed for ALP detection for the first time. The developed approach utilizes a natural substrate of ALP in biological systems and thus affords very high catalytic efficiency. This novel biosensor is demonstrated to enable quantitative analysis of ALP in a wide range from 0.1 to 1000 U L(-1) with a low detection limit of 0.08 U L(-1), which is among the most sensitive assays for ALP. It is expected that the developed method may provide a low-cost, convenient, rapid and highly sensitive platform for ALP-based clinical diagnostics and biomedical applications.

Assessment of corticosteroid-induced alkaline phosphatase as a prognostic indicator in canine lymphoma.

PubMed

Wiedemann, A L; Charney, S C; Barger, A M; Schaeffer, D J; Kitchell, B E

2005-04-01

To examine the incidence of elevated corticosteroid-induced alkaline phosphatase (sALP) in dogs with lymphoma and to determine if sALP is a reliable prognostic indicator in canine lymphoma. The medical records of 62 canine lymphoma patients treated with a combination chemotherapy protocol from 1994 to 2003 at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital were examined. Variables assessed with respect to response rate and remission duration included age, bodyweight, sex, breed, World Health Organization stage (I to V), substage (a or b), pretreatment administration of corticosteroid, and serum levels of alkaline phosphatase, sALP and alanine aminotransferase. sALP was not statistically significant with respect to response rate or duration of remission, nor was preinduction glucocorticoid administration. Stage was significant with respect to achieving remission. It was found that sALP is not a useful prognostic indicator for response rate and remission duration in dogs with lymphoma.

Canine osteosarcoma cell lines from patients with differing serum alkaline phosphatase concentrations display no behavioural differences in vitro.

PubMed

Holmes, K E; Thompson, V; Piskun, C M; Kohnken, R A; Huelsmeyer, M K; Fan, T M; Stein, T J

2015-09-01

Osteosarcoma is an aggressive malignancy and represents the most frequent primary bone malignancy of dogs and humans. Prognostic factors reported for osteosarcoma include tumour size, presence of metastatic disease and serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentration at the time of diagnosis. To date, there have been no studies to determine whether the behaviour of osteosarcoma cells differ based on serum ALP concentration. Here, we report on the generation of six canine osteosarcoma cell lines from osteosarcoma-bearing dogs with differences in serum ALP concentration. To determine whether in vitro behaviour differs between primary osteosarcoma cell lines generated from patients with normal or increased serum ALP, assays were performed to evaluate proliferation, migration, invasion and chemosensitivity. There were no significant differences in cell proliferation, migration, invasion or chemosensitivity between cell lines associated with normal or increased serum ALP concentration. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

PATTERNS OF ENDEMISM OF THE EASTERN NORTH AMERICAN CAVE FAUNA

EPA Science Inventory

Over 250 species of obligate terrestrial cave-dwelling animals (troglobionts) are known from single caves in the eastern United States. We investigate their geographic distribution, especially in relation to other troglobionts. We relate these patterns to taxonomic group, oppor...

Establishing and Valuing the Effects of Improved Visibility in Eastern United States (1984)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report seeks to establish a visibility value function; identify particular activities likely to be influenced by visibility and to measure values to households in producing these activities; and develop estimates of visibility benefits for Eastern US.

Positioning the Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) Hunted by the Tyrolean Iceman into a Mitochondrial DNA Phylogeny

PubMed Central

Olivieri, Cristina; Marota, Isolina; Rizzi, Ermanno; Ermini, Luca; Fusco, Letizia; Pietrelli, Alessandro; De Bellis, Gianluca; Rollo, Franco; Luciani, Stefania

2014-01-01

In the last years several phylogeographic studies of both extant and extinct red deer populations have been conducted. Three distinct mitochondrial lineages (western, eastern and North-African/Sardinian) have been identified reflecting different glacial refugia and postglacial recolonisation processes. However, little is known about the genetics of the Alpine populations and no mitochondrial DNA sequences from Alpine archaeological specimens are available. Here we provide the first mitochondrial sequences of an Alpine Copper Age Cervus elaphus. DNA was extracted from hair shafts which were part of the remains of the clothes of the glacier mummy known as the Tyrolean Iceman or Ötzi (5,350–5,100 years before present). A 2,297 base pairs long fragment was sequenced using a mixed sequencing procedure based on PCR amplifications and 454 sequencing of pooled amplification products. We analyzed the phylogenetic relationships of the Alpine Copper Age red deer's haplotype with haplotypes of modern and ancient European red deer. The phylogenetic analyses showed that the haplotype of the Alpine Copper Age red deer falls within the western European mitochondrial lineage in contrast with the current populations from the Italian Alps belonging to the eastern lineage. We also discussed the phylogenetic relationships of the Alpine Copper Age red deer with the populations from Mesola Wood (northern Italy) and Sardinia. PMID:24988290

Contrasting serpentinization processes in the eastern Central Alps

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burkhard, D.J.M.; O'Neil, J.R.

1988-01-01

Stable isotope compositions have been determined for serpentinites from between Davos (Arosa-Platta nappe, Switzerland) and the Valmalenco (Italy). ??D and ??18O values (-120 to -60 and 6-10???, respectively) in the Arosa-Platta nappe indicate that serpentinization took place on the continent at relatively low temperatures in the presence of limited amounts of metamorphic fluids that contained a component of meteoric water. One sample of chrysotile has a ??18O value of 13??? providing evidence of high W/R ratios and low formation temperature of lizardite-chrysotile in this area. In contrast, relatively high ??D values (-42 to -34???) and low ??18O values (4.4-7.4???) for serpentine in the eastern part of the Valmalenco suggest a serpentinization process that took place at moderate temperatures in fluids that were dominated by ocean water. The antigorite in the Valmalenco is the first reported example of continental antigorite with an ocean water signature. An amphibole sample from a metasomatically overprinted contact zone to metasediments (??D=-36???) indicates that the metasomatic event also took place in the presence of ocean water. Lower ??D values (-93 to -60???) of serpentines in the western part of the Valmalenco suggest a different alteration history possibly influenced by fluids associated with contact metamorphism. Low water/rock ratios during regional metamorphism (and metasomatism) have to be assumed for both regions. ?? 1988 Springer-Verlag.

Contrasting serpentinization processes in the eastern Central Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burkhard, Dorothee J. M.; O'Neil, James R.

1988-08-01

Stable isotope compositions have been determined for serpentinites from between Davos (Arosa-Platta nappe, Switzerland) and the Valmalenco (Italy). δD and δ 18O values (-120 to -60 and 6 10‰, respectively) in the Arosa-Platta nappe indicate that serpentinization took place on the continent at relatively low temperatures in the presence of limited amounts of metamorphic fluids that contained a component of meteoric water. One sample of chrysotile has a δ 18O value of 13‰ providing evidence of high W/R ratios and low formation temperature of lizardite-chrysotile in this area. In contrast, relatively high δD values (-42 to -34‰) and low δ 18O values (4.4 7.4‰) for serpentine in the eastern part of the Valmalenco suggest a serpentinization process that took place at moderate temperatures in fluids that were dominated by ocean water. The antigorite in the Valmalenco is the first reported example of continental antigorite with an ocean water signature. An amphibole sample from a metasomatically overprinted contact zone to metasediments ( δD=-36‰) indicates that the metasomatic event also took place in the presence of ocean water. Lower δD values (-93 to -60‰) of serpentines in the western part of the Valmalenco suggest a different alteration history possibly influenced by fluids associated with contact metamorphism. Low water/rock ratios during regional metamorphism (and metasomatism) have to be assumed for both regions.

Tectono-thermal Evolution of a Distal Rifted Margin: Constraints From the Calizzano Massif (Prepiedmont-Briançonnais Domain, Ligurian Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Decarlis, Alessandro; Fellin, Maria Giuditta; Maino, Matteo; Ferrando, Simona; Manatschal, Gianreto; Gaggero, Laura; Seno, Silvio; Stuart, Finlay M.; Beltrando, Marco

2017-12-01

The thermal evolution of distal domains along rifted margins is at present poorly constrained. In this study, we show that a thermal pulse, most likely triggered by lithospheric thinning and asthenospheric rise, is recorded at upper crustal levels and may also influence the diagenetic processes in the overlying sediments, thus representing a critical aspect for the evaluation of hydrocarbon systems. The thermal history of a distal sector of the Alpine Tethys rifted margin preserved in the Ligurian Alps (Case Tuberto-Calizzano unit) is investigated with thermochronological methods and petrologic observations. The studied unit is composed of a polymetamorphic basement and a sedimentary cover, providing a complete section through the prerift, synrift, and postrift system. Zircon fission track analyses on basement rocks samples suggest that temperatures exceeding 240 ± 25°C were reached before 150-160 Ma (Upper Jurassic) at few kilometer depth. Neoformation of green biotite, stable at temperatures of 350 to 450°C, was synkinematic with this event. The tectonic setting of the studied unit suggests that the heating-cooling cycle took place during the formation of the distal rifted margin and terminated during Late Jurassic (150-160 Ma). Major crustal and lithospheric thinning likely promoted high geothermal gradients ( 60-90°C/km) and triggered the circulation of hot, deep-seated fluids along brittle faults, causing the observed thermal anomaly. Our results suggest that rifting can generate thermal perturbations at relatively high temperatures (between 240 and 450°C) at less than 3 km depth in the distal domains during major crustal thinning preceding breakup and onset of seafloor spreading.

Probable levetiracetam-related serum alkaline phosphatase elevation

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Levetiracetam (LEV) is an antiepileptic drug with a favorable tolerability and safety profile with little or no effect on liver function. Case presentation Here, we reported an epileptic pediatric patient who developed a significant elevation in serum alkaline phosphatase level (ALP) during LEV monotherapy. Moreover, the serum ALP level was surprisingly decreased to normal after LEV discontinuation. The Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale score was 6, indicating firstly LEV was a probable cause for the increased serum ALP. Conclusions Cautious usage and concerns of the LEV-associated potential ALP elevation should be considered when levetiracetam is prescribed to epilepsy patients, especially pediatric patients. PMID:22994584

A new bound on axion-like particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsh, M. C. David; Russell, Helen R.; Fabian, Andrew C.; McNamara, Brian R.; Nulsen, Paul; Reynolds, Christopher S.

2017-12-01

Axion-like particles (ALPs) and photons can quantum mechanically interconvert when propagating through magnetic fields, and ALP-photon conversion may induce oscillatory features in the spectra of astrophysical sources. We use deep (370 ks), short frame time Chandra observations of the bright nucleus at the centre of the radio galaxy M87 in the Virgo cluster to search for signatures of light ALPs. The absence of substantial irregularities in the X-ray power-law spectrum leads to a new upper limit on the photon-ALP coupling, gaγ: using a very conservative model of the cluster magnetic field consistent with Faraday rotation measurements from M87 and M84, we find gaγ < 2.6 × 10-12 GeV-1 at 95% confidence level for ALP masses ma <= 10‑13 eV. Other consistent magnetic field models lead to stronger limits of gaγ lesssim 1.1–1.5 × 10‑12 GeV‑1. These bounds are all stronger than the limit inferred from the absence of a gamma-ray burst from SN1987A, and rule out a substantial fraction of the parameter space accessible to future experiments such as ALPS-II and IAXO.

Transient hyperphosphatemia: a benign laboratory disorder in a boy with Gitelman syndrome.

PubMed

Skalova, Sylva; Kutilek, Stepan

2016-01-01

Transient hyperphosphatasemia of infancy and early childhood (THI) is characterized by transiently increased activity of serum alkaline phosphatase (S-ALP), predominantly its bone or liver isoform, in children under five years of age. There are no signs of metabolic bone disease or hepatopathy corresponding with the increased S-ALP. THI is benign disorder, rather laboratory than clinical disorder, which is usually accidentally detected in both healthy and sick children. When encountered in a child with either chronic bone, liver or kidney disease, it might concern the physician. We present a three year old boy with genetically confirmed Gitelman syndrome where THI was detected accidentally during periodic check-up. S-ALP peaked to 41.8 µkat/L, there were neither laboratory or clinical signs of liver or bone disease; the S-ALP dropped to normal value of 4 µkat/L 60 days later. Therefore, the patient fulfilled the criteria for THI. There were no further increases in S-ALP. Resumo A hiperfosfatasemia transitória benigna da infância (HTBI) é caracterizada por elevação transitória da atividade da fosfatase alcalina sérica (S-ALP), predominantemente em sua isoforma óssea ou hepática, em crianças com menos de cinco anos de idade. Não há sinais de patologia óssea metabólica ou hepatopatia correspondentes ao aumento da S-ALP. A HTBI é um distúrbio benigno, mais laboratorial que clínico, normalmente detectado acidentalmente em crianças saudáveis e acometidas por alguma patologia. Quando encontrada em crianças com doença crônica óssea, hepática ou renal, maiores preocupações são justificadas. O presente relato descreve o caso de um menino de três anos de idade com síndrome de Gitelman geneticamente confirmada, em que a HTBI foi detectada acidentalmente durante um exame periódico. A S-ALP atingiu o pico de 41,8 µkat/L, sem sinais laboratoriais ou clínicos de doença hepática ou óssea. O valor de S-ALP caiu para o nível normal de 4 µkat/L 60 dias mais tarde. Portanto, o paciente satisfazia os critérios para HTBI. Não houve outros aumentos na S-ALP.

A portable cell-based optical detection device for rapid detection of Listeria and Bacillus toxins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Pratik; Banada, Padmapriya P.; Rickus, Jenna L.; Morgan, Mark T.; Bhunia, Arun K.

2005-11-01

A mammalian cell-based optical biosensor was built to detect pathogenic Listeria and Bacillus species. This sensor measures the ability of the pathogens to infect and induce cytotoxicity on hybrid lymphocyte cell line (Ped-2E9) resulting in the release of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) that can be detected optically using a portable spectrophotometer. The Ped-2E9 cells were encapsulated in collagen gel matrices and grown in 48-well plates or in specially designed filtration tube units. Toxin preparations or bacterial cells were introduced and ALP release was assayed after 3-5 h. Pathogenic L. monocytogenes strains or the listeriolysin toxins preparation showed cytotoxicity ranging from 55% - 92%. Toxin preparations (~20 μg/ml) from B. cereus strains showed 24 - 98% cytotoxicity. In contrast, a non-pathogenic L. innocua (F4247) and a B. substilis induced only 2% and 8% cytotoxicity, respectively. This cell-based detection device demonstrates its ability to detect the presence of pathogenic Listeria and Bacillus species and can potentially be used onsite for food safety or in biosecurity application.

Vapor-phase deposition of polymers as a simple and versatile technique to generate paper-based microfluidic platforms for bioassay applications.

PubMed

Demirel, Gokhan; Babur, Esra

2014-05-21

Given their simplicity and functionality, paper-based microfluidic systems are considered to be ideal and promising bioassay platforms for use in less developed countries or in point-of-care services. Although a series of innovative techniques have recently been demonstrated for the fabrication of such platforms, development of simple, inexpensive and versatile new strategies are still needed in order to reach their full potential. In this communication, we describe a simple yet facile approach to fabricate paper-based sensor platforms with a desired design through a vapor-phase polymer deposition technique. We also show that the fabricated platforms could be readily employed for the detection of various biological target molecules including glucose, protein, ALP, ALT, and uric acid. The limit of detection for each target molecule was calculated to be 25 mg dL(-1) for glucose, 1.04 g L(-1) for protein, 7.81 unit per L for ALP, 1.6 nmol L(-1) for ALT, and 0.13 mmol L(-1) for uric acid.

Culturable yeasts in meltwaters draining from two glaciers in the Italian Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buzzini, Pietro; Turchetti, Benedetta; Diolaiuti, Guglielmina; D'Agata, Carlo; Martini, Alessandro; Smiraglia, Claudio

The meltwaters draining from two glaciers in the Italian Alps contain metabolically active yeasts isolable by culture-based laboratory procedures. The average number of culturable yeast cells in the meltwaters was 10 20 colony-forming units (CFU) L-1, whereas supraglacial stream waters originating from overlying glacier ice contained <1 CFU L-1. Yeast cell number increased as the suspended-sediment content of the water samples increased. Basidiomycetous yeasts represent >80% of isolated strains (Cryptococcus spp. and Rhodotorula spp. were 33.3% and 17.8% of total strains, respectively). Culturable yeasts were psychrotolerant, predominantly obligate aerobes and able to degrade organic macromolecules (e.g. starch, esters, lipids, proteins). To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to report the presence of culturable yeasts in meltwaters originating from glaciers. On the basis of these results, it is reasonable to suppose that the viable yeasts observed in meltwaters derived predominantly from the subglacial zone and that they originated from the subglacial microbial community. Their metabolic abilities could contribute to the microbial activity occurring in subglacial environments.

Earthquake catalog for estimation of maximum earthquake magnitude, Central and Eastern United States: Part A, Prehistoric earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wheeler, Russell L.

2014-01-01

Computation of probabilistic earthquake hazard requires an estimate of Mmax, the maximum earthquake magnitude thought to be possible within a specified geographic region. This report is Part A of an Open-File Report that describes the construction of a global catalog of moderate to large earthquakes, from which one can estimate Mmax for most of the Central and Eastern United States and adjacent Canada. The catalog and Mmax estimates derived from it were used in the 2014 edition of the U.S. Geological Survey national seismic-hazard maps. This Part A discusses prehistoric earthquakes that occurred in eastern North America, northwestern Europe, and Australia, whereas a separate Part B deals with historical events.