The petrogenesis of topaz rhyolites from the western United States

High-silica topaz-bearing rhyolites of Cenozoic age are widely distributed across the western USA and Mexico. They are characteristically enriched in fluorine (>0.2 wt.%) and incompatible lithophile elements (e.g. Li, Rb, Cs, U, Th, Be). In addition to topaz, the rhyolites contain garnet, bixbyite, pseudobrookite, hematite and fluorite in cavities or in their devitrified groundmasses. Magmatic phases include sanidine, quartz, oligoclase and Fe-rich biotite. Allanite, fluorite, zircon, apatite and magnetite occur in most; pyroxene, hornblende, ilmenite and titanite occur in some. The rhyolites crystallized over a wide temperature interval (850° to 600° C) at \(f_{0_2 } \) that ranges from QFM to NNO. The REE patterns of most topaz rhyolites are almost flat (La/Yb_N=1 to 3) and have deep Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu^*=0.01 to 0.02). Both parameters decrease with differentiation. Titanite-bearing rhyolites have prominent middle REE depletions. Topaz rhyolites appear to have evolved from partial melts of a residual granulitic source in the Precambrian lower crust. According to the proposed model, the passage of hot mafic magmas through the crust produced partial melts as a result of the decomposition of F-rich biotite or amphibole. An extensional tectonic setting allowed these small batches of magma to rise without substantial mixing with contemporaneous mafic magmas. Some of the compositional differences between topaz rhyolites and peralkaline rhyolites may be attributed to the accumulation of fluorine and fluorphile elements (Al, Be, Li, Rb, U, Th, HREE) in melts which give rise to topaz rhyolites and chlorine and chlorophile elements (Ti, Fe, Mn, Zn, Zr, Nb and LREE) in melts which yield peralkaline rhyolites. Hence the F/Cl ratio of the melt or its source may determine the alumina saturation of the magma series. Topaz rhyolites are distinguishable from calc-alkaline rhyolites by lower Sr, Ba, Eu and higher F, Rb, U and Th. The usually low La/Yb ratios of topaz rhyolites distinguish them from both peralkaline and calc-alkaline rhyolite suites.     

Measurement of arrival time of particles in extensive air showers using TDC32

Arrival time of particles in an extensive air shower (EAS) is a key physical parameter to determine its direction. EAS direction is useful for studies of anisotropy and composition of cosmic rays, and search for multi-TeV γ-rays sources. Accurate timing may be used to search exotic phenomena such as production of new particles at extremely high energies available during early stages of development of EAS and also for detecting sub-relativistic hadrons in EAS. Time to digital converters (TDCs) are used to perform this task. Traditional TDCs operate in the START-STOP mode with limited dynamic range and single-hit capability. With the advent of high luminosity collider LHC, need for TDCs with large dynamic range, multi-hit capability and TRIGGERED mode of operation became necessary. A 32 channel TDC was designed for the GRAPES-3 experiment on a CAMAC platform around TDC32, an ASIC developed by micro-electronics group at CERN, Geneva. Four modules were operated in the GRAPES-3 experiment. Here, we present details of the circuit design and their performance over several years. The multi-hit feature of this device was used to study the time structure of particles in the EAS on time scale of ~1 μs. The distribution of time intervals in the multi-hit data shows an exponential profile with a time constant of ~370 ns. These delayed particles are likely to be neutrons produced in the EAS core that were recorded in the scintillator detectors following the relativistic EAS front.     

Artificial neural networks for removal of couplings in airborne transient electromagnetic data

Modern airborne transient electromagnetic surveys typically produce datasets of thousands of line kilometres, requiring careful data processing in order to extract as much and as reliable information as possible. When surveys are flown in populated areas, data processing becomes particularly time consuming since the acquired data are contaminated by couplings to man‐made conductors (power lines, fences, pipes, etc.). Coupled soundings must be removed from the dataset prior to inversion, and this is a process that is difficult to automate. The signature of couplings can be both subtle and difficult to describe in mathematical terms, rendering removal of couplings mostly an expensive manual task for an experienced geophysicist. Here, we try to automate the process of removing couplings by means of an artificial neural network. We train an artificial neural network to recognize coupled soundings in manually processed reference data, and we use this network to identify couplings in other data. The approach provides a significant reduction in the time required for data processing since one can directly apply the network to the raw data. We describe the neural network put to use and present the inputs and normalizations required for maximizing its effectiveness. We further demonstrate and assess the training state and performance of the network before finally comparing inversions based on unprocessed data, manually processed data, and artificial neural network automatically processed data. The results show that a well‐trained network can produce high‐quality processing of airborne transient electromagnetic data, which is either ready for inversion or in need of minimal manual processing. We conclude that the use of artificial neural network scan significantly reduce the processing time and its costs by as much as 50%.     

gamma-Glutamyl transpeptidase as a possible marker of Sertoli cells in fish testes for studies of xenoestrogens.

Estrogenic chemicals are known to have marked effects on the reproductive system of male fish. Finding useful markers of reproductive effects are therefore of great importance and interest. gamma-Glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GTP) is a possible marker of Sertoli cells in testes of fish. In the present study we have examined the relationship between the activity of gamma-GTP and the histological structure of the Sertoli cells in testes of five fish species (guppy, Poecilia reticulata; platyfish, Xiphophorus maculatus; eelpout, Zoarces viviparus; rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss; flounder, Platichthys flesus). In general we found that the more distinct the Sertoli cells the higher the activity of gamma-GTP.     

Tidal and residual currents over abrupt deep-sea topography based on shipboard ADCP data and tidal model solutions for three popular bathymetry grids

The response of tidal and residual currents to small-scale morphological differences over abrupt deep-sea topography (Seine Seamount) was estimated for bathymetry grids of different spatial resolution. Local barotropic tidal model solutions were obtained for three popular and publicly available bathymetry grids (Smith and Sandwell TOPO8.2, ETOPO1, and GEBCO08) to calculate residual currents from vessel-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (VM-ADCP) measurements. Currents from each tidal solution were interpolated to match the VM-ADCP ensemble times and locations. Root mean square (RMS) differences of tidal and residual current speeds largely follow topographic deviations and were largest for TOPO8.2-based solutions (up to 2.8 cm?s^?1) in seamount areas shallower than 1,000 m. Maximum RMS differences of currents obtained from higher resolution bathymetry did not exceed 1.7 cm?s^?1. Single depth-dependent maximum residual flow speed differences were up to 8 cm?s^?1 in all cases. Seine Seamount is located within a strong mean flow environment, and RMS residual current speed differences varied between 5 % and 20 % of observed peak velocities of the ambient flow. Residual flow estimates from shipboard ADCP data might be even more sensitive to the choice of bathymetry grids if barotropic tidal models are used to remove tides over deep oceanic topographic features where the mean flow is weak compared to the magnitude of barotropic tidal, or baroclinic currents. Realistic topography and associated flow complexity are also important factors for understanding sedimentary and ecological processes driven and maintained by flow–topography interaction.     

Effects of three fungicides alone and in combination on glutathione S-transferase activity (GST) and cytochrome P-450 (CYP 1A1) in the liver and gill of brown trout (Salmo trutta)

In order to evaluate the gill glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity as a biomarker of effect of fungicide exposure in juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta), the fungicides propiconazole {(R,S)-1-[2-(2,4-diclophenyl)-4-propyl-1,3-dioolan-2-ylmetyl]-1H-1,2,4-triazole} and fenpropimorph {(±)-cis-4-[3-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-2-metyl propyl]-2,6 dimetylmorfolinc} were administrated in the water separately and together in a static system (80 μg/l for each pesticide) for 5 days. The combined fungicides gave a significant decrease in gill GST activity towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), whilst hepatic GST-activity was not significantly changed. Furthermore, continuous exposure to 540 ug/l thiabendazole{ 2-(thiazol-4′-yl)benzimidazole} in a flow-through system for 4 days significantly increased the gill glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity towards CDNB, whilst hepatic GST and cytochrome P450 (CYP 1A) activities were not increased by the treatment.     

Organic geochemistry and source potential of the lacustrine shales of the Upper Triassic - Lower Jurassic Kap Stewart Formation, East Greenland

The Upper Triassic — Lower Jurassic Kap Stewart Formation (Jameson Land, East Greenland) has been studied by a combination of sedimentological and organic geochemical methods (LECO/Rock Eval, sulphur, gas chromatography) in order to assess the hydrocarbon source potential of the abundant and extensive lacustrine shale intervals present in the formation.The organic matter in the shales is a mixture of algal and higher plant remains (type I and III kerogen). An organic assemblage dominated by algal material, having a rich oil potential, occurs in an interval approximately 10–15 m thick in the uppermost part of the formation. This interval has an organic carbon content up to 10% and Hydrogen Index values up to 700. The interval is consistently traceable along the exposed margins and the central part of the basin. The deposition of the uppermost shale interval coincided with the largest expansion of the lake, during a period with a stratified water column and anoxic bottom-water conditions.Locally the rocks exposed are thermally postmature due to the thermal influence of dolerite sills which intruded the Kap Stewart Formation in Tertiary time. However, the organic-rich shale interval is beyond the influence of the sills and indicates a maturity prior to or in the early stages of oil generation.Calculations of the generative potential of the lacustrine source rocks suggest that significant amounts of petroleum may have been generated in those sediments which have undergone sufficient burial in the southern and central part of the basin. Here, the contemporaneously deposited delta front and barrier island sandstones can thus be considered as potential targets for future hydrocarbon exploration. This type of play may also be of importance in other North Atlantic basins with a similar basin history.