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Polytypism is a typical feature of layered minerals with differences only in stacking sequences. There is no obvious “phase” boundary among different polytypes, although the frequency of polytypes occurrence is related to its crystallization environment. In the past decades, X‑ray studies of molybdenite specimens from a variety of geological environments have revealed that most molybdenite crystals contain both 2H1(hexagonal) and 3R(rhombohedral) polytypes. However, the stacking sequences of these molybdenite polytypic intergrowths and their formation mechanism are not well understood. Here, we report stacking faults and domains of long-period polytypes identified by high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) in a molybdenite sample from a carbonatite vein in the Huanglongpu Mo-Pb ore deposit in Qinling orogenic belt, Northern China. Several layers of disordered domains intergrown with ordered 2H1domain were recognized based on the contrast in HAADF image with one-dimensional lattice fringes. In addition, a 30-layer long-period polytype was unambiguously identified by a STEM image. The stacking sequences of 4-, 6-, and 8-layer disordered domains and the 30-layer long-period polytype were further examined using HRSTEM images at the atomic resolution. A 2H3polytype with three repetitions was also discovered in the sample. We propose that non-equilibrium conditions related to the fluctuation of fluid composition during crystallization resulted in the oscillation of 2H1and 3Rpolytypes and intergrowth of various disordered domains. More broadly, our study demonstrates that HAADF-STEM imaging method may be applicable for studying other disordered layered crystals and twinned minerals.

Although several hypotheses for the formation of glauconite have been proposed, the sedimentary environment and mechanism of glauconitization are still poorly understood. In this contribution, the mineralogy and chemical compositions of sediments from Paleogene formations (Fms) in the Kyzyltokoy basin (Kyrgyzstan) were examined to better understand glauconitization processes. The samples were analyzed using microscopic petrography, X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Interlayered diatomite-argillaceous rocks were newly identified within the diatomites of the Isfara Fm. Glauconite from the Kyzyltokoy basin displayed two stages of maturity: 1) early stage (nascent) glauconite grains composed of ç3.5% K2O and ~8% FeOT; 2) late-stage (highly evolved) glauconite grains composed of 7–9% K2O and ~27% FeOT. The early stage glauconite grains in the Hanabad Fm green clay (green clay is clay with a greenish color) indicate interruptions in glauconitization processes, whereas the (highly) evolved glauconite grains show a completed glauconitization process along the contact between the Hanabad and Sumsar Fms. Hematite was detected in the red clay (clay with reddish color) of the Sumsar Fm and probably formed by glauconite disintegration. Accordingly, the Paleogene Fms depositional conditions were of three types: 1) beginning of glauconitization with interruptions, 2) completion of glauconitization, and 3) glauconite disintegration. Glauconitization in the Kyzyltokoy basin, thus, likely occurred viaa combination of dissolution, precipitation, and recrystallization processes.

The young human brain is highly plastic and thus early brain lesions can lead to aberrant development of connectivity and mapping of functions. This is why initially in cerebral palsy only subtle changes in spontaneous movements are seen after the time of lesion, followed by a progressive evolution of a movement disorder over many months and years. Thus we propose that interventions to treat cerebral palsy should be initiated as soon as possible in order to restore the nervous system to the correct developmental trajectory. One such treatment might be autologous stem cell transplantation either intracerebrally or intravenously. All babies come with an accessible supply of stem cells, the umbilical cord, which can supply cells that could theoretically replace missing neural cell types, or act indirectly by supplying trophic support or modulating inflammatory responses to hypoxia/ischaemia. However, for such radical treatment to be proposed, it is necessary to be able to detect and accurately predict the outcomes of brain injury from a very early age. This article reviews our current understanding of perinatal injuries that lead to cerebral palsy, how well modern imaging might predict outcomes, what stem cells are yielded from umbilical cord blood and experimental models of brain repair using stem cells.

This paper presents an adaptive control method for a class of uncertain strict-feedback switched nonlinear systems. First, we consider the constraint characteristics in the switched nonlinear systems to ensure that all states in switched systems do not violate the constraint ranges. Second, we design the controller based on the backstepping technique, while integral Barrier Lyapunov functions (iBLFs) are adopted to solve the full state constraint problems in each step in order to realize the direct constraints on state variables. Furthermore, we introduce the Lyapunov stability theory to demonstrate that the adaptive controller achieves the desired control goals. Finally, we perform a numerical simulation, which further verifies the significance and feasibility of the presented control scheme.