The global distribution of pure anorthosite on the Moon.

It has been thought that the lunar highland crust was formed by the crystallization and floatation of plagioclase from a global magma ocean, although the actual generation mechanisms are still debated. The composition of the lunar highland crust is therefore important for understanding the formation of such a magma ocean and the subsequent evolution of the Moon. The Multiband Imager on the Selenological and Engineering Explorer (SELENE) has a high spatial resolution of optimized spectral coverage, which should allow a clear view of the composition of the lunar crust. Here we report the global distribution of rocks of high plagioclase abundance (approaching 100 vol.%), using an unambiguous plagioclase absorption band recorded by the SELENE Multiband Imager. If the upper crust indeed consists of nearly 100 vol.% plagioclase, this is significantly higher than previous estimates of 82-92 vol.% (refs 2, 6, 7), providing a valuable constraint on models of lunar magma ocean evolution.

Lunar activity from recent gas release.

Samples of material returned from the Moon have established that widespread lunar volcanism ceased about 3.2 Gyr ago. Crater statistics and degradation models indicate that last-gasp eruptions of thin basalt flows continued until less than 1.0 Gyr ago, but the Moon is now considered to be unaffected by internal processes today, other than weak tidally driven moonquakes and young fault systems. It is therefore widely assumed that only impact craters have reshaped the lunar landscape over the past billion years. Here we report that patches of the lunar regolith in the Ina structure were recently removed. The preservation state of relief, the number of superimposed small craters, and the 'freshness' (spectral maturity) of the regolith together indicate that features within this structure must be as young as 10 Myr, and perhaps are still forming today. We propose that these features result from recent, episodic out-gassing from deep within the Moon. Such out-gassing probably contributed to the radiogenic gases detected during past lunar missions. Future monitoring (including Earth-based observations) should reveal the composition of the gas, yielding important clues to volatiles archived at great depth over the past 4-4.5 Gyr.

Mercury offloading in gametes and potential adverse effects of high mercury concentrations in blood and tissues of Atlantic Goliath Grouper Epinephelus itajara in the southeastern United States.

Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous and non-essential heavy metal that is highly toxic to aquatic organisms. Few studies examine Hg and its effects on wild fish populations. Here, we investigated the potential effects of Hg exposure on a large and long-lived marine species of conservation concern, the vulnerable Atlantic Goliath Grouper Epinephelus itajara. Our objectives were (1) to measure Hg (methyl-Hg; and total Hg = combined methyl-Hg and inorganic-Hg) concentrations in whole blood (WB) and gametes (eggs and sperm); (2) to investigate the relationships between Hg concentrations in muscle and liver with WB and gametes; (3) to investigate the relationships between Hg concentrations in liver, muscle, and WB with hematological and plasma biochemical analytes; and (4) to investigate the relationship between liver Hg and pigmented macrophage aggregates in liver tissue sections. We found several lines of evidence for potential adverse effects on Goliath Grouper health and reproduction by high Hg concentrations in liver, muscle, WB, and gametes, including (1) Hg concentrations in all tissues and gametes were well above observable ranges of marine and freshwater fishes from experimental exposure studies; (2) gamete Hg concentrations were among the highest recorded in wild fishes, with seasonal patterns suggesting females offload significant amounts of Hg into their eggs during the spawning season; (3) Methyl-Hg was highest in muscle, followed by sperm, liver, eggs, and WB; (4) there were significant correlations between liver, muscle, and WB Hg concentrations with various blood analytes; (5) vitellogenin positively correlated with female liver methyl-Hg concentrations, and was abnormally high in males, suggesting direct endocrine effects; and (6) liver total Hg positively correlated with pigmented macrophage aggregate count and percent area. This work will help guide future research examining the potential adverse effects of Hg and its role as an additional stressor on wild fish populations.

Space Weathering on Airless Bodies.

Space weathering refers to alteration that occurs in the space environment with time. Lunar samples, and to some extent meteorites, have provided a benchmark for understanding the processes and products of space weathering. Lunar soils are derived principally from local materials but have accumulated a range of optically active opaque particles (OAOpq) that include nanophase metallic iron on/in rims formed on individual grains (imparting a red slope to visible and near-infrared reflectance) and larger iron particles (which darken across all wavelengths) such as are often found within the interior of recycled grains. Space weathering of other anhydrous silicate bodies, such as Mercury and some asteroids, produce different forms and relative abundance of OAOpq particles depending on the particular environment. If the development of OAOpq particles is minimized (such as at Vesta), contamination by exogenic material and regolith mixing become the dominant space weathering processes. Volatile-rich bodies and those composed of abundant hydrous minerals (dwarf planet Ceres, many dark asteroids, outer solar system satellites) are affected by space weathering processes differently than the silicate bodies of the inner solar system. However, the space weathering products of these bodies are currently poorly understood and the physics and chemistry of space weathering processes in different environments are areas of active research.

Argon I Lines Produced in a Hollow Cathode Source, 332 nm to 5865 nm.

We report precision measurements by Fourier transform spectroscopy of the vacuum wavenumber, line width, and relative signal strength of 928 lines in the Ar I spectrum. Wavelength in air and classification of the transition are supplied for each line. A comparison of our results with other precision measurements illustrates the sensitivity of Ar I wavelengths to conditions in the light source.

Color and albedo heterogeneity of Vesta from Dawn.

Multispectral images (0.44 to 0.98 µm) of asteroid (4) Vesta obtained by the Dawn Framing Cameras reveal global color variations that uncover and help understand the north-south hemispherical dichotomy. The signature of deep lithologies excavated during the formation of the Rheasilvia basin on the south pole has been preserved on the surface. Color variations (band depth, spectral slope, and eucrite-diogenite abundance) clearly correlate with distinct compositional units. Vesta displays the greatest variation of geometric albedo (0.10 to 0.67) of any asteroid yet observed. Four distinct color units are recognized that chronicle processes--including impact excavation, mass wasting, and space weathering--that shaped the asteroid's surface. Vesta's color and photometric diversity are indicative of its status as a preserved, differentiated protoplanet.

Long-lived volcanism on the lunar farside revealed by SELENE Terrain Camera.

We determined model ages of mare deposits on the farside of the Moon on the basis of the crater frequency distributions in 10-meter-resolution images obtained by the Terrain Camera on SELENE (Selenological and Engineering Explorer) (Kaguya). Most mare volcanism that formed mare deposits on the lunar farside ceased at approximately 3.0 billion years ago, suggesting that mare volcanism on the Moon was markedly reduced globally during this period. However, several mare deposits at various locations on the lunar farside also show a much younger age, clustering at approximately 2.5 billion years ago. These young ages indicate that mare volcanism on the lunar farside lasted longer than was previously considered and may have occurred episodically.

Lack of exposed ice inside lunar south pole Shackleton Crater.

The inside of Shackleton Crater at the lunar south pole is permanently shadowed; it has been inferred to hold water-ice deposits. The Terrain Camera (TC), a 10-meter-resolution stereo camera onboard the Selenological and Engineering Explorer (SELENE) spacecraft, succeeded in imaging the inside of the crater, which was faintly lit by sunlight scattered from the upper inner wall near the rim. The estimated temperature of the crater floor, based on the crater shape model derived from the TC data, is less than approximately 90 kelvin, cold enough to hold water-ice. However, at the TC's spatial resolution, the derived albedo indicates that exposed relatively pure water-ice deposits are not on the crater floor. Water-ice may be disseminated and mixed with soil over a small percentage of the area or may not exist at all.

Comparison between human serum and Albuminar-20 (TM) supplement for in-vitro fertilization.

Patient or fetal cord serum is commonly used as a protein supplement to culture media used in in-vitro fertilization (IVF). To eliminate the variability and possible hazards related to the use of human serum, a well-defined protein supplement, Albuminar-20 (Armour Pharmaceutical Cy) was evaluated as a substitute for serum. Prior to its application in the human, Earle's culture media supplemented with 0.5% (w/v) bovine serum albumin, 8% (v/v) decomplemented patient serum or 2.25% (v/v) Albuminar-20 were compared in a mouse bioassay. For the three different conditions, the percentages of blastocysts formed after 120 h in-vitro culture were respectively 91.2, 85.2 and 87.8% (NS). In the human IVF, a controlled comparison was performed from October to December 1988, between Earle's medium supplemented with patients' serum or Albuminar-20. When oocytes and spermatozoa were cultured in these two media, the fertilization rates were similar, 58.9% in human serum versus 59.4% in Albuminar-20. After further culture, the morphological quality of the cleaved embryos was better in the embryos cultured in Albuminar-20. The higher pregnancy rate in Albuminar-20 was correlated with the better morphological appearance of the embryos and their more advanced cleavage stage at the time of transfer. Therefore, Albuminar-20 can be considered as a suitable protein supplement in human IVF.

The importance of impermeant support in small bowel preservation: a morphologic, metabolic and functional study.

BACKGROUND: Ambiguity exists as to which preservation solution is the most effective for small bowel (SB); studies have shown equivalent results with normal saline and University of Wisconsin (UW) solution. This study was designed to investigate the requirement of SB for oncotic and osmotic support, thereby reassessing one of the key principles of static organ storage. METHODS: Rodent SB was vascularly flushed with the following solutions: group 1, 0.9% saline (154 mM NaCl); group 2, 154 mM NaCl +5% dextran; group 3, 104 mM NaCl +100 mM lactobionate + 5% dextran; and group 4, UW solution. Analysis of cellular energetics, permeability and histology (by electron microscopy) was performed over a 10-h time course of cold storage. RESULTS: The addition of dextran and lactobionate to a simple saline solution (group 3) resulted in superior maintenance of several key parameters of energy metabolism throughout prolonged storage. At all times, ATP/ADP and EC ratios in group 3 remained unchanged from those of freshly isolated tissue; storage in normal saline and UW solution resulted in a progressive decline between 1 and 10 h of storage. ATP was also notably greater in group 3 than in group 1 or UW after 10 h of storage. Functional parameters demonstrated significant improvements in maintaining barrier function and membrane ion/electrical activity in group 3. Of particular note, after 10 h of storage, permeability for groups 1, 3 and UW was 215, 76 and 400 nmol/cm2/h, respectively, compared with a fresh tissue value of 22 nmol/cm2/h. Scanning electron micrographs revealed complete epithelial denudation of bowel stored in simple saline and UW solutions at 10 h. The incorporation of 100 mM lactobionate plus 5% dextran in group 3 prevented extensive villus denudation; the presence of intact microvilli indicated normal epithelial cell morphology. CONCLUSION: The order of solution effectiveness was group 3 > group 2 > group 1 > group 4. Vascular supplied impermeants, when supplied in simple solution, provide markedly improved preservation of metabolism, barrier function, and morphology of SB compared with UW.