Search Results (19)

Upper Miocene volcanic and plutonic rocks on Kos island preserve a record of magmatic and tectonic events in the transition zone between the Aegean and Anatolian microplates. Their field setting, syn-intrusion deformation, mineralogy, and geochemistry were investigated. Volcanic rocks, including trachyandesite flows and trachyandesite to rhyolite domes, were extruded on a central E–W horst and directly overlie Alpine basement. Thick successions of trachytic flow tuffs are interbedded with fluvial and lacustrine basinal sediments to the south of this horst. Volcanism was synchronous with the emplacement of the Dikeos monzonite pluton, which is geochemically similar to some lithic clasts in the thick flow tuffs and is cut by mafic dykes including lamprophyres. Two main types of mafic magma were present: a K-rich lamprophyric magma that evolved to trachyandesite and more calc-alkaline magma similar to mafic enclaves in the monzonite. Syn-intrusion structures in the monzonite indicate emplacement during E–W sinistral strike-slip faulting that created local transtensional deformation, providing accommodation for a Dikeos magma reservoir. A change in the style of deformation in the Late Miocene led to NW-striking extension in the footwall, occupied by mafic dykes and mineralized veins, and extensional detachment of the hanging wall, resulting in unroofing of the monzonite. Full article

We describe a case of an immunocompetent adult male patient originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who was referred to our unit for a several-day history of fever and a pruritic, vesicular rash. There was initial concern in the Emergency Department for Mpox (formerly known as “monkeypox”) given the current epidemiology versus other viral etiologies. Primary varicella zoster virus (pVZV) infection was ultimately diagnosed by PCR from a swabbed, unroofed lesion, and he recovered completely with supportive management and without antiviral therapy. We herein describe how common viral exanthems may best be differentiated in an emergency or outpatient setting. Full article

Microbes naturally inhabit bamboo-based materials in outdoor environments, sequentially contributing to their deterioration. Fungi play a significant role in deterioration, especially in environments with abundant water and favorable temperatures. Alkali treatment is often employed in the pretreatment of round bamboo to change its natural elastic and aesthetic behaviors. However, little research has investigated the structure and dynamics of fungal communities on alkali-treated round bamboo during natural deterioration. In this work, high-throughput sequencing and multiple characterization methods were used to disclose the fungal community succession and characteristic alterations of alkali-treated round bamboo in both roofed and unroofed habitats throughout a 13-week deterioration period. In total, 192 fungal amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) from six phyla were identified. The fungal community richness of roofed bamboo samples declined, whereas that of unroofed bamboo samples increased during deterioration. The phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota exhibited dominance during the entire deterioration process in two distinct environments, and the relative abundance of them combined was more than 99%. A distinct shift in fungal communities from Basidiomycota dominant in the early stage to Ascomycota dominant in the late stage was observed, which may be attributed to the increase of moisture and temperature during succession and the effect of alkali treatment. Among all environmental factors, temperature contributed most to the variation in the fungal community. The surface of round bamboo underwent continuous destruction from fungi and environmental factors. The total amount of cell wall components in bamboo epidermis in both roofed and unroofed conditions presented a descending trend. The content of hemicellulose declined sharply by 8.3% and 11.1% under roofed and unroofed environments after 9 weeks of deterioration. In addition, the contact angle was reduced throughout the deterioration process in both roofed and unroofed samples, which might be attributed to wax layer removal and lignin degradation. This study provides theoretical support for the protection of round bamboo under natural weathering. Full article

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a challenging dermatological condition, can be described as a chronic, painful, follicular, occlusive disease that is characterized by painful nodules, abscesses, and sinus tracts generally located in the intertriginous skin areas. This disorder places a considerable burden on affected individuals and often leads to significant impairment in quality of life for those grappling with its persistent and recurrent nature. We present the case of a 20-year-old male patient known to have ulcerative proctitis and diagnosed with hidradenitis suppurativa in 2020, for which he underwent various topical and systemic treatments, with periods of remission and recurrent flares without managing to obtain complete remission of HS. In our dermatology service, the patient underwent two surgical unroofing procedures combined with punch debridement, with the wounds being allowed to heal by secondary intention. This choice of treatment delivered great results with favorable outcomes, without recurrence of the lesions, proving to be an effective method for managing HS. By presenting this case, we underline the role of surgical procedures in managing HS, and our desire is to emphasize the importance of comprehensive understanding of this enigmatic and complex condition for more effective management strategies in patients with refractory disease. Full article

The Longshou Shan, located in western China, plays a crucial role in connecting the Tarim Continent with the North China Craton. It provides valuable insights into the Cenozoic intracontinental deformation, the complex dynamics of Eurasian tectonics, and the relationship between the pre-Cenozoic Tethys and Central Asian orogenic systems. Consequently, comprehending the evolution of the Phanerozoic era in this region holds immense significance. Zircon (U-Th)/He (ZHe) dating was conducted on three granite samples (n = 18) collected from the Longshou Shan. The ZHe dates of these granite rocks range from 7.2 to 517.7 Ma, showing a negative correlation with eU values. Furthermore, a limestone sample from the Longshou Shan yielded ZHe (n = 4) ages of 172.0–277.1 Ma and AHe (n = 4) ages of 17–111.9 Ma. The area has undergone complex tectonic processes involving multiple phases of uplift and burial. Using both forward and inverse modeling methods, we aim to establish plausible thermal histories. Our models reveal: (1) Late Paleozoic unroofing; (2) Early Mesozoic cooling and Late Mesozoic regional stabilization; and (3) Cenozoic reheating and subsequent cooling. By investigating the intricate thermal history of the Longshou Shan through multi-method modeling, we compare different approaches and assess the capabilities of single ZHe dating for understanding a thermal history. This research contributes to unraveling the region’s geological complexities and aids in evaluating various modeling methods. Full article

Patterns of Phanerozoic burial and erosion across the cratonic interior of North America can help constrain the continental hypsometric history and the potential influence of dynamic topography on continental evolution. Large areas of the Canadian Shield currently lack Phanerozoic sedimentary cover, but thermochronology data can help reconstruct the previous extent, thickness, and erosion of Phanerozoic strata that once covered the craton. Here, we report apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe) data for 15 samples of Precambrian basement rocks and 1 sample of Triassic kimberlite from a 1400 km–long east–west transect across the southern Canadian Shield. Single-grain basement AHe dates range from >500 Ma in the west to <250 Ma in the east. AHe dates for the kimberlite in the middle of the transect overlap with the pipe’s Triassic eruption age. These data, combined with previous apatite fission-track data, geologic constraints, and thermal history modeling, are used to constrain the first-order regional thermal history that we interpret in the context of continental burial and erosion. Our burial and erosion model is characterized by Paleozoic burial that was greater to the east, unroofing that migrated eastward through Jurassic time, and little to no post-Triassic burial. This pattern suggests dynamic and tectonic forces related to Appalachian convergence, subduction cessation, and later rifting as drivers. The AHe data contribute to efforts to collect thermochronology data across the Canadian Shield to map out continental-scale burial and erosion patterns. The outcomes can be used to refine mantle dynamic models and test how dynamic topography, far-field tectonics, and other effects influence the surface histories of continental interiors. Full article

Geochemical overprinting on placer gold deposits produces complex deposits with apparently paradoxical geochemical and morphological attributes. The La Cholla placer gold deposits near Quartzsite, Arizona, USA, contain sharp and often undamaged gold crystals within high-energy gravels as a result of postdepositional recrystallization by localized hot springs. Geothermal fluids emanated from a basin-bounding fault and left a distinct signature that includes recrystallized gold with low Pb and δ⁶⁵Cu > 1.14‰, secondary uraninite and carnotite, travertine deposits, and mounds of highly silicified placer gravels. Surrounding these deposits are placer gravels with angular gold morphology and geochemistry indicative of flash-flood pulse placers with a lode gold source < 5 km and gold particles with low Pb and δ⁶⁵Cu < 0.77‰. The multitude of small local lode gold source veins is likely related to specialized fluid migration along mid-Tertiary detachment faults. The unroofing of these veins at 5 to 17 Ma by high-angle Basin and Range faulting led to extensive placer development, with subsequent localized modification by geothermal fluid migration along the same faults. This study documents geochemical overprinting and modification of placer deposits and bears upon the study of other placers containing crystalline gold and uranium mineralization. Similar deposits may document past geothermal activity and identify structural fluid conduits and steep paleo-topographic gradients. Full article

Bamboo’s mechanical and aesthetic properties are significantly influenced by fungi. However, few studies have been conducted to investigate the structure and dynamics of fungal communities in bamboo during its natural deterioration. In this study, fungal community succession and characteristic variations of round bamboo in roofed and unroofed environments over a period of 13 weeks of deterioration were deciphered using high-throughput sequencing and multiple characterization methods. A total of 459 fungal Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) from eight phyla were identified. The fungal community’s richness of roofed bamboo samples showed an increasing trend, whereas that of unroofed bamboo samples presented a declining trend during deterioration. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the dominant phyla throughout the deterioration process in two different environments: Basidiomycota was found to be an early colonizer of unroofed bamboo samples. Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) analysis suggested that the deterioration time had a greater impact on fungal community variation compared to the exposure conditions. Redundancy analysis (RDA) further revealed that temperature was a major environmental factor that contributed to the variation in fungal communities. Additionally, the bamboo epidermis presented a descending total amount of cell wall components in both roofed and unroofed conditions. The correlation analysis between the fungal community and relative abundance of three major cell wall components elucidated that Cladosporium was negatively correlated with hemicellulose in roofed samples, whereas they presented a positive correlation with hemicellulose and a negative correlation with lignin in unroofed samples. Furthermore, the contact angle decreased during the deterioration process in the roofed as well as unroofed samples, which could arise from the degradation of lignin. Our findings provide novel insights into the fungal community succession on round bamboo during its natural deterioration and give useful information for round bamboo protection. Full article

The differences in dynamic thermal changes during laser lithotripsy between various laser pulse modes are unclear. We used thermography to evaluate the temporal changes in high-temperature areas during laser activation in order to compare different laser pulse modes. An unroofed artificial kidney model was used for the experiments. The laser fired for 60 s with a laser setting of 0.4 J/60 Hz in the following four different laser pulse modes without saline irrigation: short pulse mode (SPM), long pulse mode (LPM), virtual basket mode (VBM) and Moses mode (MM). Using the first 30 s of moving images, we compared the ratio of a high-temperature area of >43 °C to the total area every 5 seconds. The dynamic changes in fluid temperatures were shown to be different between the laser pulse modes. The extent of the high-temperature areas during the laser activation was large in the LPM and MM compared with the SPM and VBM. While the high-temperature areas expanded in an anterior direction in the early laser irradiation period using the LPM, they spread in a posterior direction in the early laser activation period using the MM. Although only the temperature profile in one specific plane was investigated, these results are considered useful for preventing thermal injuries during retrograde intrarenal surgeries. Full article

The Late Paleozoic is an important epoch of coal-bed accumulation in the North China, particularly in its western segment, where a world-class coal field has been found and exploited for three decades. Coal-bearing layers recorded rapid Late Carboniferous to Early Permian sea-level rise that led to the evolution of the shallow marine tidal flat basin, followed by regression that resulted in the formation of deltaic facies. However, little attention has been paid to the tectonic factors that assisted in the coal accumulation processes, which have been demonstrated worldwide to be pivotal. In this study, we evaluate the significant influence of southward subduction of the middle segment of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO) during Carboniferous to Early Permian deposition of coal-bearing neritic to deltaic successions in the western North China Block (NCB). We pinpoint a direct link between basin-filling evolution of the northwestern Ordos Basin and the progressive uplift of the Inner Mongolia continental arc triggered by the south-dipping subduction of the Solonker ocean plate. Sedimentary facies variation and paleocurrent reconstruction indicate sedimentary routing from the north to northeast. The petrology and detrital zircon geochronology of sampled sandstones indicate evolving provenances from a dominated cratonic basement to a mixed orogen and continental arc. The Carboniferous samples are generally quartz arenites and contain a large number of Archean to Paleoproterozoic zircons with small amounts of Paleozoic arc pluton components, indicating sediment supply dominated by the western NCB Precambrian basement. In contrast, the youngest sample of the Shanxi Formation is sub-litharenite, the age spectrum of which is characterized by the dominance of ca. 450 and 270 Ma ages, indicative of a high influx of Paleozoic arc detritus. This shift in sandstone petrology, detrital zircon distribution, and depositional setting allows us to link the shoaling of the Ordos Basin with mountain building and the unroofing of the continental arc, which enhances our understanding of both the subduction of the PAO and coal accumulation in the NCB. Full article

An unroofed coronary sinus is a malformation that leads to a shunt between the coronary sinus and the left atrium. In our case, the shunt led to the formation of a gigantic left atrial aneurysm compressing the left atrium on transesophageal echocardiography. During surgery, a myxoma was incidentally discovered. Full article

Detailed mapping and structural observations on the Cycladic Blueschist Unit (CBU) on Iraklia Island integrated with detrital zircon (DZ) U-Pb ages elucidate the Mesozoic pre-subduction and the Cenozoic orogenic evolution. Iraklia tectonostratigraphy includes a heterogeneous Lower Schist Fm., juxtaposed against a Marble Fm. and an overlying Upper Schist Fm. The contact is an extensional ductile-to-brittle-ductile, top-to-N shear zone, kinematically associated with the Oligo-Miocene exhumation. The DZ spectra of the Lower Schist have Gondwanan/peri-Gondwanan provenance signatures and point to Late Triassic Maximum Depositional Ages (MDAs). A quartz-rich schist lens yielded Precambrian DZ ages exclusively and is interpreted as part of the pre-Variscan metasedimentary Cycladic Basement, equivalent to schists of the Ios Island core. The Upper Schist represents a distinctly different stratigraphic package with late Cretaceous MDAs and dominance of Late Paleozoic DZ ages, suggestive of a more internal Pelagonian source. The contrast in the DZ U-Pb record between Lower and Upper Schist likely reflects the difference between a Paleotethyan and Neotethyan geodynamic imprint. The Triassic DZ input from eroded volcanic material is related to the final Paleotethys closure and Pindos/CBU rift basin opening, while late Cretaceous metamorphic/magmatic zircons and ~48–56 Ma zircon rims constrain the onset of Neotethyan convergence and high-pressure subduction metamorphism. Full article

Tandem intracranial aneurysms (TandIAs) are rare but inherently complex, and special technical considerations are required for their surgical management. The present case highlights the key surgical aspects of two carotid-ophthalmic TandIAs incidentally found in a 60-year-old female. Both the aneurysms were superiorly projecting, regular in size, and involved the left ophthalmic segment of the internal carotid artery (ICA). The minimum distance between the necks was 3 mm. The patient underwent microsurgery because of the reported major complications rate of the endovascular treatment in the case of a very short minimum distance between the TandIAs. After cervical ICA exposure, both the aneurysms were excluded through a pterional approach. Intradural anterior clinoidectomy and unroofing of the optic canal allowed the mobilization of the left optic nerve. The more distal aneurysm was clipped before the opening of the distal dural ring of the ICA. The proximal aneurysm was clipped with two straight clips stacked perpendicular to the ICA. A small remnant was intentionally left to avoid the stenosis of the ophthalmic artery. Postoperative angiography showed the exclusion of both the aneurysms with a small dog-ear of the more proximal one. The patient was discharged neurologically intact and, after one year, the remnant remained stable. Microsurgical clipping is a definitive and durable treatment for carotid-ophthalmic TandIAs. In the case of a very short minimum distance between the aneurysms, the distal one should be clipped first to make the anterior clinoidectomy, opening of the distal dural ring of the ICA, and clipping of the more proximal aneurysm easier. Full article

An interdisciplinary study based on lithostratigraphic, biostratigraphic, petrographic and mineralogical analyses has been performed in order to establish the Cenozoic tectono-sedimentary evolution of the El Habt and Ouezzane Tectonic Units (External Intrarif Subzone, External Rif, Morocco). The reconstructed record allowed identification of the depositional architecture and related sedimentary processes of the considered units. The Cenozoic successions were biochronologically defined allowing, at the same time, identification of unconformities and associated stratigraphic gaps. The presence of five unconformities allowed for the definition of the main stratigraphic units arranged in a regressive trend: (1) lower Paleocene interval (Danian p.p.) assigned to a deep basin; (2) Eocene interval (lower Ypresian-lower Bartonian p.p.) from a deep basin to an external carbonate-siliceous platform; (3) lower Rupelian-upper Chattian p.p. interval deposited on unstable slope with turbidite channels passing upward to an external siliciclastic platform; (4) Burdigalian p.p. interval from a slope; (5) Langhian-Serravallian p.p. interval from slope to external platform realms. The petrography of the arenites and calcarenites allowed for the identification of the supplies derived from erosion of a recycled orogen (transitional and quartzose subtypes). The clay-mineralogy analysis indicates an unroofing (first erosion of Cretaceous terrains followed by upper Jurassic rocks) always accomplished by erosion of Cenozoic terrains. Several tectofacies checked in some stratigraphic intervals seem to indicate the beginning of deformation of the basement generating gentle folds and first activation of blind thrusts, mainly during the Paleogene. A preorogenic tectonic framework is considered as responseto the generalized tectonic inversion (from extension to compression) as frequently registered in the central-western peri-Mediterranean areas. The large volumes of reworked terrigeneous supply during the latest Oligocene-Miocene p.p. indicates the beginningsof the synorogenic sedimentation (foredeep stage of the basins) controlled by active tectonics. Full article

The emerging field of archaeoacoustics is attracting increasing research attention from scholars of different disciplines: the investigation of the acoustic features of ancient open-air theatres is possibly one of its main themes. In this paper, the outcomes of a measurement campaign of acoustical parameters in accordance with ISO 3382-1 in the ancient theatre of Tyndaris (Sicily) are presented and compared with datasets from other sites. Two sound sources were used (firecrackers and dodecahedron) and their differences were analysed. A very good reproducibility has been shown between the two measurement chains, with differences on average of 0.01 s for reverberation time T₂₀, and less than 0.3 dB for Clarity C₅₀ and C₈₀ and for sound strength. In general, results show that the reverberation time and strength of sound values are relatively low when compared with other theatres because of the lack of the original architectural element of the scaenae frons. When combining this effect with the obvious condition of an unroofed space, issues emerge in terms of applicability of the protocols recommended in the ISO standard. This raises the question of whether different room acoustics parameters should be used to characterise open-air ancient theatres. Full article