Minor Extension Research Articles

Three-dimensional geometric morphometric shape analysis of chest wall kinematics in different breathing conditions.

Breathing motion is based on the differential activity of the thoracic, diaphragmatic and abdominal muscles. Muscle contributions differ between rest and exercise conditions and depend on posture and other factors. Traditionally, these changes are investigated on volumetric data using optoelectronic plethysmography (OEP). OEP offers insight into size variations of different chest wall (CW) compartments but does not provide three-dimensional visualization methods of CW breathing kinematics. Here we explore the use of three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to analyse size and shape changes caused by spontaneous breathing motion during quiet (QB), and recovery breathing (REC, immediately after heavy exercise) in two different postures (SIT, sitting on cycle ergometer; STA, standing position). Our findings show that size and shape differ significantly between inspiration and expiration and that differences are greater in REC than in QB. However, this is achieved by stronger expiration in SIT but by greater expiratory and inspiratory movements in STA. Shape analysis suggests that these differences may be attributed to constrained mobility of the shoulder girdle and a minor thoracic spine extension during inspiration owing to position on the ergometer. Breathing motion in STA seems biomechanically less constrained. Geometric morphometrics analyses can provide additional insights into data obtained by OEP.

Polluted Rivers—A Case Study in Porto, Portugal

River contamination by microorganisms, or another chemical source, poses a serious threat to both the environment and public health. Taking immediate and appropriate actions is essential to mitigate the contamination and prevent further spread. As such, regular monitoring of these pollution agents is essential to act in time and control its minor extension. However, there is a lack of commitment to this emergent concern and respective actions around the world. This work aims to study the contamination of a Portuguese river (Tinto River) within Porto city (a highly populated urban area) regarding the total aerobic microorganisms, coliforms, and Enterococcus (as colony-forming units (CFUs) using specific solid culture media) and total organic matter (TOC). Different locations were considered along the Tinto River course (i.e., 14 locations within 11 km) and samples were collected on distinct days throughout September 2022. The overall results showed microbial contamination of aerobic microorganisms (up to 2 × 105 CFU/100 mL), total coliforms (up to 7 × 104 CFU/100 mL), Escherichia coli (up to 9 × 103 CFU/100 mL), and Enterococcus (up to 8 × 103 CFU/100 mL). The results also surpassed the maximum recommended values (MRVs) described in Portuguese decree-law no. 236/98 for irrigation waters. Moreover, TOC was found in a range of 4.54 mg/L to 57.2 mg/L. This work highlights the dangerous microbial contamination and higher amount of organic matter than would be expected for a surface water resource.

Ultrasound Imaging in Active Surveillance of Small, Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

The recent surge in the incidence of small papillary thyroid cancers (PTCs) has been linked to the widespread use of ultrasonography, thereby prompting concerns regarding overdiagnosis. Active surveillance (AS) has emerged as a less invasive alternative management strategy for low-risk PTCs, especially for PTCs measuring ≤1 cm in maximal diameter. Recent studies report low disease progression rates of low-risk PTCs ≤1 cm under AS. Ongoing research is currently exploring the feasibility of AS for larger PTCs (<20 mm). AS protocols include meticulous ultrasound assessment, emphasis on standardized techniques, and a multidisciplinary approach; they involve monitoring the nodules for size, growth, potential extrathyroidal extension, proximity to the trachea and recurrent laryngeal nerve, and potential cervical nodal metastases. The criteria for progression, often defined as an increase in the maximum diameter of the PTC, warrant a review of precision and ongoing examinations. Challenges exist regarding the reliability of volume measurements for defining PTC disease progression. Although ultrasonography plays a pivotal role, challenges in assessing progression and minor extrathyroidal extension underscore the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in disease management. This comprehensive overview highlights the evolving landscape of AS for PTCs, emphasizing the need for standardized protocols, meticulous assessments, and ongoing research to inform decision-making.

Comparative Analysis of Surgical Working Corridors for Meckel Cave Trigeminal Schwannomas: A Quantitative Anatomic Study.

Volumetric analysis of the working corridors of the interdural approach to the Meckel cave may lead to a selection of routes which are anatomically more advantageous for trigeminal schwannoma resection. The herein-reported anatomic study quantitively compares the infratrochlear (IT) transcavernous, anteromedial (AM), and anterolateral (AL) corridors, highlighting their feasibility, indications, advantages, and limitations. Anatomic boundaries and depth of Meckel cave, porus trigeminus, IT transcavernous, AM, and AL corridors were identified in 20 formalin-fixed latex-injected cadaveric heads and were subsequently measured. The corridor areas and volumes were derived accordingly. Each opening angle was also calculated. Angles and volumes were compared using analysis of variance. Statistical significance was set at a P -value <.05. The IT transcavernous corridor volume was greater than that of the AM and AL. The opening angle of the AM middle fossa triangle was wider than the other 2. The IT corridor can be advantageous for Meckel cave schwannomas invading the cavernous sinus and those with a notable extension into the posterior fossa because the transcavernous approach maximizes the working space into the retrosellar area. The AM middle fossa corridor is strategic in schwannomas confined to the Meckel cave with a minor extension into the posterior fossa. It raises the chance of total resection with a single approach involving the porus trigeminus opening.

Tensor-to-scalar ratio forecasts for extended LiteBIRD frequency configurations

LiteBIRD is a planned JAXA-led cosmic microwave background (CMB) B-mode satellite experiment aiming for launch in the late 2020s, with a primary goal of detecting the imprint of primordial inflationary gravitational waves. Its current baseline focal-plane configuration includes 15 frequency bands between 40 and 402 GHz, fulfilling the mission requirements to detect the amplitude of gravitational waves with the total uncertainty on the tensor-to-scalar ratio, δr, down to δr &lt; 0.001. A key aspect of this performance is accurate astrophysical component separation, and the ability to remove polarized thermal dust emission is particularly important. In this paper we note that the CMB frequency spectrum falls off nearly exponentially above 300 GHz relative to the thermal dust spectral energy distribution, and a relatively minor high frequency extension can therefore result in even lower uncertainties and better model reconstructions. Specifically, we compared the baseline design with five extended configurations, while varying the underlying dust modeling, in each of which the High-Frequency Telescope (HFT) frequency range was shifted logarithmically toward higher frequencies, with an upper cutoff ranging between 400 and 600 GHz. In each case, we measured the tensor-to-scalar ratio r uncertainty and bias using both parametric and minimum-variance component-separation algorithms. When the thermal dust sky model includes a spatially varying spectral index and temperature, we find that the statistical uncertainty on r after foreground cleaning may be reduced by as much as 30–50% by extending the upper limit of the frequency range from 400 to 600 GHz, with most of the improvement already gained at 500 GHz. We also note that a broader frequency range leads to higher residuals when fitting an incorrect dust model, but also it is easier to discriminate between models through higher χ2 sensitivity. Even in the case in which the fitting procedure does not correspond to the underlying dust model in the sky, and when the highest frequency data cannot be modeled with sufficient fidelity and must be excluded from the analysis, the uncertainty on r increases by only about 5% for a 500 GHz configuration compared to the baseline.

The monoterpene position isomers estragole and anethole attenuates zymosan-induced arthritis in mice

The isomers estragole (EST) and anethole (ANT) has been reported to present anti-inflammatory activity in different experimental models of inflammation. This study investigated the effects of EST and ANT on leukocytes migration into the knee joint, the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO), the levels of nitric oxide (NO), cytokines and the oxidative status in the joint tissue. EST and ANT equally inhibit the zymosan-induced neutrophils influx and the levels of NO and MPO activity into the joint. EST reduced the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 at the dose of 250 mg/kg and500 mg/kg. Only 500 mg/kg ANT reduced in minor extension the levels of TNF-α and IL-6. In contrast, the IL-10 joint levels were increased in mice treated with both ANT and EST. In addition, both EST and ANT reduced the zymosan-induced oxidative stress in the joint; however, ANT was more potent than EST to this respect. The latter could be attributed to an additional reactive species scavenging due to the double bond of the propenyl chain conjugated with the aromatic ring in ANT, but not present in EST. This same structural difference should be responsible by the distinct modulation of zymosan-induced cytokine production in the joint.

Geodynamics and tectonic stress model for the Zagros fold–thrust belt and classification of tectonic stress regimes

Stress measurement in rocks is an essential parameter in Earth and petroleum sciences. In hydrocarbon exploration and production from oilfields, a lack of sufficient knowledge on the initial stress field for the fracturing of formations limits proper simulation of the production process.To date, only a limited number of studies have investigated the state of stress in the Zagros Mountains. In this paper, well-established analytical techniques were used to determine the stress state in the Zagros Mountains. First, the Angelier method was used to invert earthquake data in different structural domains. Second, the pattern of crustal stresses was analyzed, and four classes of stress regimes were identified. The stress patterns were reconstructed for five distinct structural domains (zones 1–5). In all five zones, the compressive stress was normal to the main structures (fold axis and fault trace with NW‒SE strike). It can be inferred that the structural pattern in the sedimentary cover of the Zagros fold-and-thrust belt (ZFTB) is controlled by R1 (Regime 1) and R4 for zones 1 and 2; R3 for zone 3; R1 and R2 for zone 4; and zone 5. The reconstructed stress patterns are consistent with the observed strike-slip faulting and compressional tectonic deformation regimes. The patterns indicate that deformation in the ZFTB can be explained by a dextral transpressional tectonic model. First-order NE–SW compression stress controls the main convergence tectonics within the Zagros Mountains. Two subordinate compression directions were also identified: one oriented in a dextral main compression direction (N 241°–243°) and another in a sinistral (N135°–177°) and minor extension (N201°–229°). Classification and modeling of the stress regimes identified both thrusting and strike-slip systems; the former controls the Main Zagros Reverse Fault (hereinafter MZRF), and the latter results in a transpressional tectonic regime.

Cenozoic slip along the southern Sierra Nevada normal fault, California (USA): A long-lived stable western boundary of the Basin and Range

AbstractThe uplift history of the Sierra Nevada, California, is a topic of long-standing disagreement with much of it centered on the timing and nature of slip along the range-bounding normal fault along the east flank of the southern Sierra Nevada. The history of normal fault slip is important for characterizing the uplift history of the Sierra Nevada, as well as for characterizing the geologic and geodynamic factors that drove, and continue to drive, normal faulting. To address these issues, we completed new structural studies and extensive apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe) thermochronometry on samples collected from three vertical transects in the footwall to the east-dipping southern Sierra Nevada normal fault (SNNF). Our structural studies on bedrock fault planes show that the SNNF is a steeply (~70°) east-dipping normal fault. The new AHe data reveal two elevation-invariant AHe age arrays, indicative of two distinct periods of cooling and exhumation, which we interpret as initiation of normal faulting along the SNNF at ca. 28–27 Ma with a second phase of normal faulting at ca. 17–13 Ma. We argue that beginning in the late Oligocene, the SNNF marked the now long-standing stable western limit, or breakaway zone, of the Basin and Range. Slip along SNNF, and the associated unloading of the footwall, likely resulted in two periods of uplift of Sierra Nevada during the late Cenozoic. Trench retreat, driven by westward motion of the North American plate, along the Farallon–North American subduction zone boundary, as well as the gravitationally unstable northern and southern Basin and Range pushing on the cold Sierra Nevada, likely drove the late Oligoceneaged normal slip along the SNNF and the similar-aged but generally local and minor extension within the Basin and Range. We posit that the thick proto–Basin and Range lithosphere was primed for late Oligocene extension by replacement of the steepening Farallon slab with hot and buoyant asthenosphere. While steepening of the Farallon slab had not yet reached the southern Sierra Nevada by late Oligocene time, we speculate that late Oligocene slip along the SNNF reactivated a late Cretaceous dextral shear zone as the Sierra Nevada block was pulled and pushed westward in response to trench retreat and gravitational potential energy. The dominant middle Miocene normal faultslip history along the SNNF is contemporaneous with high-magnitude slip recorded along range-bounding normal faults across the Basin and Range, including the east-adjacent Inyo and White mountains, indicating that this period of extension was a major regional tectonic event. We infer that a combination of slabdriven trench retreat along the Juan de Fuca–North America subduction zone boundary and clockwise rotation of the southern ancestral Cascade Range superimposed on continental lithosphere preconditioned for extension drove this episode of middle Miocene normal slip along the SNNF and extension to the east across the Basin and Range. Transtensional plate motion along the Pacific–North America plate boundary, and likely a growing slab window, continued to drive extension along the SNNF and the western Basin and Range, but not until ca. 11 Ma when the Mendocino triple junction reached the latitude of our northernmost (U-Th)/He transect.

The current and future seasonal geographic distribution of largehead hairtail Trichiurus japonicus in the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea

Largehead hairtail Trichiurus japonicus is a major commercial fish species in the Beibu Gulf of the northwestern South China Sea. Despite much effort to protect the fishery resource, the current stock of T. japonicus is overexploited. As the impacts of climate change unfold globally, seasonal changes in the distribution of largehead hairtail in the Beibu Gulf have not yet been clarified. Maximum entropy model based on mixed layer depth and salinity were projected onto seasonal habitat changes of T. japonicus in the Beibu Gulf under a current scenario and three different Representative Concentration Pathways (126, 370, 585) to evaluate geographic distribution changes under the different climate-change scenarios. The current geographic distribution results showed variation with seasonality, as the wintering population shifts toward the northeast. Under each of three SSP scenarios, there is higher risk to habitat suitability in the 2090s as compared with that in the 2050s. The disadvantage to T. japonicus distribution is greatest in winter under each of the three climate change scenarios, both in the short- and long-term. Potential suitable habitat distributions have a minor range extension in Representative Concentration Pathway 370–2050 winter, but in the rest of the scenes and years they contract to south of the Beibu Gulf. The overall results indicate that seasonal differences in suitable habitat should be considered to ensure effective planning of future management strategies for T. japonicus.

Comparison of Lobectomy vs Total Thyroidectomy for Intermediate-Risk Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma With Lymph Node Metastasis

Surgical treatment of patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) by either lobectomy or total thyroidectomy (TT) has long been a topic of debate, especially for patients with intermediate-risk PTC. To compare recurrence-free survival (RFS) for patients with PTC and lymph node metastasis after lobectomy vs TT. This retrospective cohort study included a review of patients with PTC treated from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2017. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed between patients treated with lobectomy and TT. This study involved a single institute in a cancer referral center. Enrolled were adult patients (aged 18-75 years) with unilateral PTC and ipsilateral clinical lateral neck metastasis (cN1b). Patients with the following characteristics were excluded: a lymph node yield less than 20, primary tumor size greater than 4 cm, gross extrathyroidal extension, metastatic lymph node size greater than 3 cm, and distant metastasis. Data analysis was performed from April 1 to April 30, 2022. Lobectomy and TT. The primary outcome was the association between extent of surgery and RFS, assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression models. A total of 946 patients with PTC (mean [SD] age, 37.0 [12.1] years, 630 female individuals [66.6%]) were analyzed. Lobectomy (624 [66.0%]) was negatively correlated with the frequencies of older age (≥65 years, 17 [2.7%]), female sex (393 [63.0%]), multifocality (132 [21.2%]), minor extrathyroidal extension (259 [41.5%]), number of metastatic lymph nodes (median [range], 9 [6-14] nodes), and radioactive iodine ablation (0). After PSM with treatment period and potential prognostic factors (age, sex, primary tumor size, multifocality, minor extrathyroidal extension, number of lymph node metastases and lymph node ratio), 265 pairs of patients were available for analysis. After a median (range) follow-up of 60 (9-150) months in the lobectomy group and 58 (8-161) months in the TT group, 21 (7.9%) and 17 (6.4%) structural recurrences were identified in the lobectomy and TT groups, respectively. Lobectomy was not associated with significantly compromised 5-year RFS rate (lobectomy, 92.3% vs TT, 93.7%; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.58-2.11; P = .77). Power analysis indicated that the test had 90% power to detect a more than 4.9% RFS difference. No significant difference in RFS was observed between patients treated with TT and radioactive iodine ablation (n = 75) and their counterparts (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.14-2.41; P = .46). Results of this cohort study suggest that patients with PTC and lymph node metastasis had a similar RFS after lobectomy vs those who had TT. If radioactive iodine ablation is not going to be performed, lobectomy may be an effective alternative option.

Numerical models of normal faulting at the St. Malo anticline, deepwater Gulf of Mexico, USA

Two-dimensional, plane-strain finite element numerical models produce small normal faults similar to those formed during the Oligocene to Miocene of the salt-cored St. Malo anticline in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The mechanical stratigraphy used in the models was derived from well data and a rate-independent, elastic-plastic constitutive model with a non-associated flow rule was used to represent the behavior of weak, over-consolidated rocks. Motion of salt is modeled by displacing the base of the overburden from an initially flat configuration to the observed present-day geometry. Model results using dominantly vertical displacement with minor extension (2%) are consistent with observed faulting at St. Malo. Small amounts of contraction (2–5%) in the numerical model suppress normal faulting whereas 2% extension best reproduces the observed structural style. The normal faults develop during elastic-plastic bending and evolve from sub-vertical, plastic mode-I failure zones to dominantly inclined normal faults. Throws of normal faults produced by the numerical models range from 11 m to 123 m. By comparison, the throws observed in the crest of the St. Malo anticline range from 30 m to 300 m. Models only using vertical displacement develop normal faults with ≤50 m throws due to bending; these are below seismic resolution. Only models with ≥2% extension develop normal faults that would be detectible (i.e., throws ≥50 m). A constraint of all the models is that the top of the salt is not faulted. The maximum depth of normal faulting in the models is ca. 900 m below the top of the reservoir. The maximum throws at the top of the reservoir in the models are ca. 30–65 m. Initiation of the normal faults as plastic mode-I failure zones in the numerical models suggests a mechanism that could facilitate early seal breach, even without juxtaposition of stratal leak points.

Effectiveness of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma with minor and major extranodal extension: A multi-institutional consortium study.

Effectiveness of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma with minor and major extranodal extension: A multi-institutional consortium study.

Ground Motion Prediction Equations for the Vertical Component from Subduction Interface Earthquakes in Japan Using Site Classes as the Site Term

ABSTRACT A large dataset from earthquakes up to the end of 2012 with a reliable earthquake tectonic category was used to develop a ground motion prediction equation (GMPE) for the vertical strong motions from the subduction interface earthquakes in Japan. Guided by the increase in the maximum log likelihood of the regression model, a minor extension on the maximum usable period was applied so that more records can be used at long spectral periods. A bilinear magnitude scaling function hinged at a moment magnitude (Mw) of 7.1 was adopted, and the scaling rate for events with Mw&amp;gt;7.1 is less than that for the other events. Site period-based site classes were used as the site parameter without a nonlinear site term. We used two datasets with the first dataset including strong-motion records from large events at stations with inferred site classes, and these records were removed in the second dataset so that all sites have a measured shear wave velocity profile down to the engineering bedrock. We found that excluding these records from sites with inferred site classes improved the model fit significantly. We modeled the effect of volcanic zones using the slant distance passing a set of volcanic zones. We also found that the between-site standard deviations for the vertical component in this study were generally less than those for the horizontal component at nearly all spectral periods. The total model standard deviations from this study are generally less than or similar to those from the GMPEs for the vertical ground motions for other earthquake categories. The distributions of between-site residuals with site period or TVS30 (120/VS30 in m/s) are not significantly biased, suggesting that the site term coefficients can be interpolated between that site class terms if a continuous predicted spectrum with site period or TVS30 is required.

Sonographic assessment of minor extrathyroidal extension of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma involving the posterior thyroid capsule.

This study aimed to determine sonographic features and clinical significance of minor extrathyroidal extension (ETE) to the posterior thyroid capsule in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) patients. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 506 PTMC patients consisting of 151 patients with minor ETE and 355 patients without ETE. Significant clinicoradiologic features associated with ETE were identified by logistic regression analyses. The diagnostic performance of sonographic features, including the presence of capsular abutment, capsular abutment degree (< 25%, 25-50%, ≥ 50%), and protrusion, were assessed for the diagnosis of posterior minor ETE. Interobserver agreement was calculated. PTMC patients with posterior minor ETE were more likely to have lymphovascular invasion and lateral neck lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.636, 95%CI: 1.754, 3.963 and OR = 2.897, 95%CI: 1.069, 7.848). Regarding the diagnostic performance, the capsular abutment yielded the highest sensitivity (81.5%), followed by ≥ 25% abutment, protrusion, and ≥ 50% abutment (57.0%, 21.9%, and 4.6%, respectively), with similar levels of diagnostic accuracy (71.3-75.1%). The specificity was highest for the sonographic feature of ≥ 50% abutment (99.7%), followed by protrusion, ≥ 25% abutment, and capsular abutment (97.8%, 82.0%, and 68.7%, respectively). Abutment assessment had a moderate interobserver agreement (K = 0.705), and abutment degree and protrusion assessment had a fair and slight interobserver agreement (K = 0.553 and 0.287). Sonographic features of posterior capsular abutment are sensitive and reliable for diagnosis of posterior minor ETE and are associated with lymphovascular invasion and lateral neck lymph node metastasis in PTMC patients. The assessment of posterior minor ETE is important for considering candidates for active surveillance among PTMC patients. • PTMC patients with posterior minor ETE were more likely to have lymphovascular invasion and lateral neck lymph node metastasis. • Sonographic features of posterior capsular abutment are sensitive and reliable for the diagnosis of posterior minor ETE. • The assessment of posterior minor ETE is important for considering candidates for active surveillance among PTMC patients.

When leader humility meets follower competitiveness: Relationships with follower affective trust, intended and voluntary turnover

Leader expressed humility (LEH) is an interpersonal, positive leader behavior that involves appreciating the strengths and contributions of others, recognizing one's own weaknesses, and being teachable. Investigating boundary conditions, our research juxtaposes LEH with followers' competitiveness, an indiscriminate need to compete and win at any cost. Employing social exchange theory, we theorize how follower competitiveness potentially impacts the positive effects of leader expressed humility on followers' affective trust in the leader and subsequent turnover. We examine our proposed moderated-mediation model with data from employees working in various German industries in two studies: a field study (Study 1) with four measurement points (time points 1–3 were separated by 1-month intervals and Time 4 followed 14 months after Time 2) and an experimental scenario study (Study 2). Results show (a) followers' competitiveness to weaken the effect of leaders' expressed humility on followers' affective trust in the leader as well as (b) indirect effects on followers' intended and actual, voluntary turnover. Notably, a consistent interaction pattern emerged across the two studies demonstrating that low (but not high) leader humility has divergent effects on followers as a function of followers' levels of competitiveness. From these results, we develop novel insights into the role of personality variables in social exchange processes and propose a minor extension of social exchange theory.

Radiologic-pathologic correlation of major versus minor extranodal extension in oral cavity cancer.

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of radiologic extranodal extension (rENE) in predicting major (>2 mm) and minor (≤2 mm) pathologic ENE (pENE). All oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma patients who underwent neck dissection with pathological nodal disease (pN+) between 2010 and 2015 were reviewed. Preoperative computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging were reviewed by two head and neck neuroradiologists. Three hundred and thirty-four patients were included. The sensitivity and specificity of rENE were 37% [95% CI 29-44] and 98% [95% CI 96-100], respectively. Sensitivity for pENE improved in the subset of patients with major ENE (48% [95% CI 38-57]). The presence of rENE was associated with inferior 3-year overall survival: 26% [95% CI 17-41] versus 60% [95% CI 54-67]. This large cohort study demonstrates high specificity, but low sensitivity for preoperative imaging in the detection of pENE in OCSCC. Patients with rENE demonstrated poor OS. pENE in the absence of rENE is still an adverse risk factor.

Minor ailment scheme extension could save NHS up to £640m annually, says PSNC

Supplying treatments for minor illness through community pharmacies in England could save the NHS up to £640m per year, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has said. In written evidence submitted to the Health and Social Care Select Committee as part of its inquiry into the ‘Future of General Practice’, which began in November 2021, […]

A Boom in Fortunes: How the Presence of Oil Affects Republican Support in North Dakota

In this paper, we aim to assess how the presence of oil rigs and the associated economic spillovers affect political support for the business- friendly party assumed to be the Republicans for our purposes. We analyse the state of North Dakota from 2000-2016 due to its oil boom beginning in 2006, taking the support of the Republican presidential candidate by county, and the presence of oil to be the basic empirical strategy. The specific strategy we used was conducting a difference-in-difference (diff-in-diff) analysis comparing the western half of the state where the oil rigs are located to the eastern half of the state where there are no oil rigs. We find that oil rigs and their presence do have a significant result on the support for Republican presidential candidates in elections post-2008. We conducted a minor extension where we conducted analysis on whether or not the presence of oil spills counteracts the effect experienced by the spill. We find that this result is not as significant and large in magnitude.

Statherian (ca. 1714–1680 Ma) Extension-Related Magmatism and Deformation in the Southwestern Korean Peninsula and Its Geological Significance: Constraints from the Petrological, Structural, Geochemical and Geochronological Studies of Newly Identified Granitoids

In this study, petrological, structural, geochemical, and geochronological analyses of the Statherian alkali feldspar granite and porphyritic alkali feldspar granite in the southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula were conducted to examine petrogenesis of the granitoids and their tectonic setting. Zircon U-Pb dating revealed that the two granites formed around 1.71 Ga and 1.70–1.68 Ga, respectively. The results of the geochemical analyses showed that both of the granites have a high content of K2O, Nb, Ta, and Y, as well as high FeOt/MgO and Ga/Al ratios. Both granites have alkali-calcic characteristics with a ferroan composition, indicating an A-type affinity. Zircon Lu-Hf isotopic compositions yielded negative εHf(t) values (−3.5 to −10.6), indicating a derivation from ancient crustal materials. Both granite types underwent ductile deformation and exhibited a dextral sense of shear with a minor extension component. Based on field relationships and zircon U-Pb dating, it was considered that the deformation event postdated the emplacement of the alkali feldspar granite and terminated soon after the emplacement of the porphyritic alkali feldspar granite in an extensional setting. These data indicated that there were extension-related magmatic activities accompanying ductile deformation in the southwestern part of the Korean Peninsula during 1.71–1.68 Ga. The Statherian extension-related events are well correlated with those in the midwestern part of the Korean and eastern parts of the North China Craton.

Neogene Development of the Terror Rift, Western Ross Sea, Antarctica

AbstractThe Terror Rift is a 350 km‐long, 50–70 km‐wide, north‐trending deep basin in the western Ross Sea, adjacent to the Transantarctic Mountains. The Terror Rift lies within the broader Victoria Land Basin, which experienced 100 km of a mid‐Cenozoic extension. New fault and post‐29 Ma seismic stratigraphic interpretations were developed using all the seismic reflection data available from the Antarctic Seismic Data Library System and were correlated to all the scientific coreholes. A new 3D velocity model was used for depth conversions. Depth‐converted seismic profiles are used to image the faulting along the rift margins. Two segments of steep normal‐separation faults, which are connected by a broad anticline, border the eastern margin, whereas steep to sub vertical faults, combined with a stratal dip, produce the relief present at the western margin. The overall geometry of the Terror Rift shows an asymmetric half‐graben structure with a main bounding fault that dips alternatively eastward and westward in the southern and in the central parts, until it becomes a symmetric graben in the north. Both the eastern and western faults were active since at least 29 Ma in the southern and central Terror Rift and at least since 21 Ma in the north. This fault activity appears to have continued within the whole Terror Rift into post‐Miocene time, as suggested by the significant component of post‐Miocene vertical slip. The measurements of large sedimentary rock thicknesses changes over time between the rift shoulders and the deepest part of the basin and agree with the continuous faulting and relative subsidence in the southern Terror Rift that occurred between 29 and 13 Ma. These changes differ from several published papers that proposed that no significant tectonic activity occurred between 23 and 13 Ma. Despite the growth of the Terror Rift basin, the extension after 21 Ma was only ∼2–4 km across offshore mapped faults in the Terror Rift, and this minor extension agrees with a published plate tectonic study that suggests that the Terror Rift was a transtensional dextral transform boundary between 26 and 11 Ma. Therefore, the Terror Rift may have changed from an orthogonal rift into a transtensional transform boundary after 26 Ma, with the faulting after 11 Ma considered to be intraplate deformation.