The influence of trap magmatism on the creation of oil and gas deposits

The need to maintain the level of production and an acceptable cost of developing oil and gas fields forces us to rely primarily on the existing reserve, that is, to maximize the potential of traditional oil and gas production regions and adjacent territories - the marginal zones. At the same time, it is necessary to develop unexplored sedimentary complexes at depths of more than 3-5 km. Against this background, it is necessary to highlight a special phenomenon that increases the oil and gas potential of the subsoil associated with trap magmatism. The insufficient level of knowledge of the subsoil makes it possible to predict the discovery of large oil and gas deposits of the traditional type, which will ensure their high profitabilitye. Keywords: trap magmatism; profitability of oil and gas resources; marginal zones; hornfels; transformation of carbonates; rocks of trap formations; regional seals.

Features of biodiversity of the Uchursky landscape nature reserve (Ayano-Maiskoye district of Khabarovsk Territory)

It was revealed that the botanical and geographical feature of the vegetation cover of the Uchursky complex nature reserve is its position in the zone of convergence of the continental and monsoon climates, claimed by sharply contrasting phlorogenetic elements of the vegetation cover. The gradient of continentality - oceanicity in the vegetation cover is quite clearly traced between the eastern and western macroslopes of the mountain systems of the Uchur River basin. A complex history of the formation of the territory, the height difference from 1,000 to 2,000 meters, the variety of rocks created the conditions for the existence of floristic complexes of different ecology and origin. In this regard, on the territory of the nature reserve, an overlap of the marginal zones of plants ranges of oceanic and continental origin was found, which defines the richness of the region’s biodiversity, but makes both species and communities unstable. The uniqueness of the flora of the Geran Ridge was revealed, with the main core formed by species of non-Angarid origin, concentrated on the weathering crust of the basic rocks. The participation of alpinogenic, arctic and arctic-alpine species is noted. The pine-larch forests, which are unique in their species composition, are found on the outcrops of carbonate rocks on the right bank of the Uchur River, opposite the mouth of the Lyalmi River and in the Uchur-Ulkan interfluve. In this area, there are 79 species of endemic highland species of North Asia. The Red Book of Khabarovsk Territory includes 37 species of vascular plants, 4 species of lichens and 1 representative of the kingdom of mushrooms.

Features of trace element composition of beryl from the Uralian Izumrudnye kopi

It was found as a result of SIMS study of beryl with various color zoning from the Uralian Izumrudnye Kopi that the content of a number of trace elements regularly varies to the margin of the crystal regardless of the color nature of the central and marginal crystal parts. The Na, Mn, Ga, Fe and Rb content increases towards the periphery of both crystals forming a U-shaped zoning. This pattern is less pronounced for Ni and Co. The Ti content, on the contrary, decreases towards the crystal margin forming a bell-shaped zoning. The distribution of a number of elements demonstrates another zoning pattern. For the beryl crystal (sample 24), the color saturation and transparency of which increases from a colorless to green-yellow from the center to the periphery of the crystal, the Sc, Cr and V forms U-shaped zoning with an increasing content to the margin of the crystal and Li exhibits a bell-shaped zoning. In transparent beryl crystal with more intense green color in the center (sample 25), the zoning pattern is dramatically distinct: bell-shaped for Sc, Cr and V and U-shaped for Li. The content of each element for both crystals coincides in the marginal zones, which have color comparable in intensity and transparency, despite the diferent color pattern with a sharply contrast¬ing distribution in the central part. In discriminant diagrams proposed for the identifcation of emeralds from various world regions, the composition of beryl from the Uralian Izumrudnye Kopi correspond to the feld of compositions of the Uralian emeralds or is close to them.

Zr-Rich Eudialyte from the Lovozero Peralkaline Massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia

The Lovozero peralkaline massif (Kola Peninsula, Russia) has several deposits of Zr, Nb, Ta and rare earth elements (REE) associated with eudialyte-group minerals (EGM). Eudialyte from the Alluaiv Mt. often forms zonal grains with central parts enriched in Zr (more than 3 apfu) and marginal zones enriched in REEs. The detailed study of the chemical composition (294 microprobe analyses) of EGMs from the drill cores of the Mt. Alluaiv-Mt. Kedykvyrpakhk deposits reveal more than 70% Zr-enriched samples. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) was performed separately for the Zr-rich (4.17 Zr apfu) core and the REE-rich (0.54 REE apfu) marginal zone. It was found that extra Zr incorporates into the octahedral M1A site, where it replaces Ca, leading to the symmetry lowering from R3¯m to R32. We demonstrated that the incorporation of extra Zr into EGMs makes the calculation of the eudialyte formula on the basis of Si + Al + Zr + Ti + Hf + Nb + Ta + W = 29 apfu inappropriate.

EVALUATION OF THE SUSTAINABILITY OF GOAT FARMS IN THE NORTH-WESTERN REGION OF TUNISIA

Background: Sustainability issues are of particular importance for the goat sector in The North-southern of Tunisia, where many local populations are reared, ensuring livelihoods for vulnerable populations in rural areas, including those in marginal zones. Even though in recent decades there has been great progress in research aimed at increasing goat productivity, there is still great work to be done, namely in the sustainability of this sector Methods: The study aimed to assess the sustainability of goat farming in the North-West of Tunisia. Twenty farms practicing goat farming were involved. Sustainability was assessed using the IDEA method (Indicateurs de Durabilité des Exploitations Agricoles or Farm Sustainability Indicators). Results: The analysis of the three scales of sustainability (the agro-ecological scale, the socio-territorial scale, and the economic scale) permitted the identification of four classes of farmers in the agro-ecological scale, five classes on the socio-territorial scale, and five classes in the economic scale. The socio-territorial scale that had the lowest value (59.3 points/100) defined global sustainability. At this scale, the components, product territorial quality, ethics, and human development must be improved and optimized. While the highest performances are recorded by the economic scale (70.35), whose transmissibility indicator has the highest score (20 points). It was concluded that the most limiting factor of sustainability for all the farms is the socio-territorial scale, while the highest score of sustainability was found for the economic scale. Improvements should be implemented on all three scales.

Scanning Electron Microscopic Study of the White Pulp of Spleen in Adult Goats

The white pulp of the spleen in adult goats was thoroughly screened under the scanning electron microscope (VEGA3 TESCAN). The study revealed the presence of lymphoid and non-lymphoid cells. The T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes could morphologically be differentiated under the magnification of 8000 to 20000 times by Scanning electron microscopy. The changes in number of cells in relation to the age was also recorded. The peri arterial lymphatic sheath and its structural connections with Reticular cells and other non-lymphoid cells were clearly demonstrated. The types of lymphoid cells and their arrangement around the central arteries upto the marginal zones were observed in detail. A conclusion about the type of circulation in the spleen of goats was arrived after three dimentional observation of the tissue under scanning electron microscope.

Agro-Morpho-Pedological Evaluation of Soils under Hevea in Marginal Zones: The Case of the Departments of Man and Toumodi

Among the ecological conditions of the environment allowing profitable rubber cultivation, rainfall and the physico-chemical characteristics of the soil are the most important. With this in mind, a study on the adaptability of rubber trees to new agro-morphopedological zones was conducted in the departments of Man and Toumodi. The methodology used to achieve this objective is the realization of pedological pits coupled with physico-chemical laboratory analyses. The open soil profiles reveal that the soils belong mainly to the Ferralsols class with distinctive characteristics, except for those of Kimoukro which belong to the Cambisols class. The Toumodi soils, with a sandy-clay texture (15-35% clay), have a high content of coarse sand (over 40%) and good internal drainage in the surface horizons. They are less dense (≤ 1 g/cm3), with a high coarse element load (40%). These soils are chemically rich with a slightly acidic pH. For the Man soils, the sandy-clay texture, with more than 50% clay, from surface to depth, was the most representative fraction. The coarse element load (≥ 50%) and bulk density (≥ 1.5 g/cm3) were more important. These strongly acidic soils are rich in nitrogen and carbon. Exchangeable bases and CEC are important, mainly, in the upper horizons. In addition, the soil profiles observed in these two departments revealed two major pedogenetic processes: reworking and rejuvenation. At the agronomic level, vegetative growth and rubber production of rubber trees were better in Man than in Toumodi. The physico-chemical characteristics of the soils indicate that the departments of Man and Toumodi are favorable for rubber cultivation, although the soils in Man department are more suitable for cultivation.

UPEC kidney infection triggers neuro-immune communication leading to modulation of local renal inflammation by splenic IFNγ

Bacterial infection results in a veritable cascade of host responses, both local and systemic. To study the initial stages of host-pathogen interaction in living tissue we use spatially-temporally controlled in vivo models. Using this approach, we show here that within 4 h of a uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) infection in the kidney, an IFNγ response is triggered in the spleen. This rapid infection-mediated inter-organ communication was found to be transmitted via nerve signalling. Bacterial expression of the toxin α-hemolysin directly and indirectly activated sensory neurons, which were identified in the basement membrane of renal tubules. Nerve activation was transmitted via the splenic nerve, inducing upregulation of IFNγ in the marginal zones of the spleen that led to increasing concentrations of IFNγ in the circulation. We found that IFNγ modulated the inflammatory signalling generated by renal epithelia cells in response to UPEC infection. This demonstrates a new concept in the host response to kidney infection; the role of nerves in sensing infection and rapidly triggering a systemic response which can modulate inflammation at the site of infection. The interplay between the nervous and immune systems is an exciting, developing field with the appealing prospect of non-pharmaceutical interventions. Our study identifies an important role for systemic neuro-immune communication in modulating inflammation during the very first hours of a local bacterial infection in vivo.

Inducible Tertiary Lymphoid Structures: Promise and Challenges for Translating a New Class of Immunotherapy

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are ectopically formed aggregates of organized lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells that occur in solid tissues as part of a chronic inflammation response. Sharing structural and functional characteristics with conventional secondary lymphoid organs (SLO) including discrete T cell zones, B cell zones, marginal zones with antigen presenting cells, reticular stromal networks, and high endothelial venues (HEV), TLS are prominent centers of antigen presentation and adaptive immune activation within the periphery. TLS share many signaling axes and leukocyte recruitment schemes with SLO regarding their formation and function. In cancer, their presence confers positive prognostic value across a wide spectrum of indications, spurring interest in their artificial induction as either a new form of immunotherapy, or as a means to augment other cell or immunotherapies. Here, we review approaches for inducible (iTLS) that utilize chemokines, inflammatory factors, or cellular analogues vital to TLS formation and that often mirror conventional SLO organogenesis. This review also addresses biomaterials that have been or might be suitable for iTLS, and discusses remaining challenges facing iTLS manufacturing approaches for clinical translation.

CD49d marks Th1 and Tfh-like antigen-specific CD4 + T cells during Plasmodium chabaudi infection

Upon activation, specific CD4 + T cells upregulate the expression of CD11a and CD49d, surrogate markers of pathogen-specific CD4 + T cells. However, using TCR transgenic mice specific for a Plasmodium antigen, termed PbT-II, we found that activated CD4 + T cells develop not only to CD11a hiCD49d hi cells, but also to CD11a hiCD49d lo cells during acute Plasmodium infection. CD49d hi PbT-II cells, localized in the red pulp of spleens, expressed transcription factor T-bet, and produced IFN-γ, indicating that they were Th1-type cells. In contrast, CD49d lo PbT-II cells resided in the white pulp/marginal zones and were a heterogeneous population, with approximately half of them expressing CXCR5 and a third expressing Bcl-6, a master regulator of Tfh cells. In adoptive transfer experiments, both CD49d hi and CD49d lo PbT-II cells differentiated into CD49d hi Th1-type cells after stimulation with antigen-pulsed dendritic cells, while CD49d hi and CD49d lo phenotypes were generally maintained in mice infected with P. chabaudi. These results suggest that CD49d is expressed on Th1-type Plasmodium-specific CD4 + T cells, which are localized in red pulp of the spleen, and can be used as a marker of antigen-specific Th1 CD4 + T cells, rather than that of all pathogen-specific CD4 + T cells.