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Two distinctive differentiation trends, tholeiitic and calc-alkalic, are recognized in Zao volcano, which is located immediately behind the volcanic front of the NE Japan arc. The genetic relationship between these two magma series is critical for a better understanding of andesite genesis, because they often coexist in close spatial and temporal proximity in arc volcanoes. Petrographic features indicative of ‘disequilibrium’, such as reversely zoned pyroxene phenocrysts, the wide and bimodal compositional distribution in Ca/(Ca + Na) of plagioclase phenocrysts, honeycomb textures and dusty zones that these plagioclase phenocrysts often exhibit, and the presence of olivine–pyroxene pairs with different Mg/Fe, are observed exclusively in calc-alkalic rocks. In tholeiitic rocks the Sr isotopic ratios of plagioclase phenocrysts, determined by both micromilling combined with thermal ionization mass spectrometry, and laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry techniques, are constant at 0·7042–0·7044. On the other hand, those in calc-alkalic rocks (0·7033–0·7042) show more complex characteristics, which can be best understood if at least three end-member components, a calc-alkalic basaltic melt, a tholeiitic basaltic melt and a tholeiitic felsic melt, contribute to the production of mixed calc-alkalic magmas. The 87Sr/86Sr and trace element compositions of the least-differentiated basalt magmas, which are inferred from the composition of the calcic plagioclase [Ca/(Ca + Na) >0·9], suggest that two types of basaltic magma, calc-alkalic and tholeiitic, exist beneath the volcano. The tholeiitic basalt magma has a higher 87Sr/86Sr than the calc-alkalic magma (0·7042 vs 0·7038) and a characteristic trace element signature consistent with the presence of plagioclase and amphibole as melting residues. This suggests that the tholeiitic magmas are produced via anatexis of amphibolitic crust caused by underplating and/or intrusion of mantle-derived calc-alkalic basalt magmas into the sub-Zao crust. The mantle-derived calc-alkalic basalt magma mixes with crust-derived tholeiitic melts to form calc-alkalic andesite magmas. The hypothesis proposed here requires revision (or even abandonment) of the general consensus that calc-alkalic magmas have greater contributions of a crustal component than tholeiitic magmas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Oto-Zan lava in the Setouchi volcanic belt is composed of phenocryst-poor, sparsely plagioclase-phyric andesites (sanukitoids) and forms a composite lava flow. The phenocryst assemblages and element abundances change but Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions are constant throughout the lava flow. The sanukitoid at the base is a high-Mg andesite (HMA) and contains Mg- and Ni-rich olivine and Cr-rich chromite, suggesting the emplacement of a mantle-derived hydrous (∼7 wt % H2O) HMA magma. However, Oto-Zan sanukitoids contain little H2O and are phenocryst-poor. The liquid lines of descent obtained for an Oto-Zan HMA at 0·3 GPa in the presence of 0·7–2·1 wt % H2O suggest that mixing of an HMA magma with a differentiated felsic melt can reasonably explain the petrographical and chemical characteristics of Oto-Zan sanukitoids. We propose a model whereby a hydrous HMA magma crystallizes extensively within the crust, resulting in the formation of an HMA pluton and causing liberation of H2O from the magma system. The HMA pluton, in which interstitial rhyolitic melts still remain, is then heated from the base by intrusion of a high-T basalt magma, forming an H2O-deficient HMA magma at the base of the pluton. During ascent, this secondary HMA magma entrains the overlying interstitial rhyolitic melt, resulting in variable self-mixing and formation of a zoned magma reservoir, comprising more felsic magmas upwards. More effective upwelling of more mafic, and hence less viscous, magmas through a propagated vent finally results in the emplacement of the composite lava flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basalt–basaltic andesite (<55 wt % SiO2) and dacite–rhyolite (66–74 wt % SiO2) are the predominant eruptive products in the Sumisu caldera volcano, Izu–Bonin arc, Japan. The most magnesian basalt (8·5% MgO), as well as some of the other basalts, has a low Zr content (20–25 ppm), and cannot yield basalts with higher Zr contents (29–40 ppm) through fractionation and/or assimilation. The high- and low-Zr basalts have different phenocryst assemblages, olivine, plagioclase and pyroxene phenocryst chemistries, REE (rare earth element) patterns, and fluid-mobile element/immobile element ratios. Estimated primary olivine compositions are more magnesian (>Fo91) in the low-Zr basalts compared with those in high-Zr basalts (

Background: Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Nonetheless, the mechanism of its pathogenesis has not been well-elucidated, particularly at the molecular level, because of insufficient availability of experimental genetic animal models., Methodology/principal Findings: Here we demonstrate that deficiency of Vav2 and Vav3, guanine nucleotides exchange factors for Rho guanosine triphosphatases, leads to an ocular phenotype similar to human glaucoma. Vav2/Vav3-deficient mice, and to a lesser degree Vav2-deficient mice, show early onset of iridocorneal angle changes and elevated intraocular pressure, with subsequent selective loss of retinal ganglion cells and optic nerve head cupping, which are the hallmarks of glaucoma. The expression of Vav2 and Vav3 tissues was demonstrated in the iridocorneal angle and retina in both mouse and human eyes. In addition, a genome-wide association study screening glaucoma susceptibility loci using single nucleotide polymorphisms analysis identified VAV2 and VAV3 as candidates for associated genes in Japanese open-angle glaucoma patients., Conclusions/significance: Vav2/Vav3-deficient mice should serve not only as a useful murine model of spontaneous glaucoma, but may also provide a valuable tool in understanding of the pathogenesis of glaucoma in humans, particularly the determinants of altered aqueous outflow and subsequent elevated intraocular pressure.