Inventory and changes of rock glacier creep speeds in Ile Alatau and Kungöy Ala-Too, northern Tien Shan, since the 1950s

This research has been supported by the European Research Council (ICEMASS (grant no. 320816)) and the European Space Agency (grant nos. 40001161196/15/I-NB, 4000123681/18/I-NB, 4000109873/14/I-NB, 4000127593/19/I-NS, and 4000127656/19/NL/FF/gp). This work was funded by the ESA projects GlobPermafrost (40001161196/15/I-NB), Permafrost_CCI (4000123681/18/I-NB), and Glaciers_CCI (4000109873/14/I-NB, 4000127593/19/I-NS) and the ESA EarthExplorer10 Mission Advisory Group (4000127656/19/NL/FF/gp) as well as by the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement no. 320816.Spatio-temporal patterns related to the viscous creep in perennially frozen sediments of rock glaciers in cold mountains have rarely been studied outside the densely populated European Alps. This study investigates the spatial and temporal variability of rock glacier movement in the Ile Alatau and Kungöy Ala-Too mountain ranges, northern Tien Shan, a region with particularly large and fast rock glaciers. Over the study region of more than 3000 km2, an inventory of slope movements was constructed using a large number of radar interferograms and high-resolution optical imagery. The inventory includes more than 900 landforms, of which around 550 were interpreted as rock glaciers. Out of the active rock glaciers inventoried, 45 are characterized by a rate of motion exceeding 100 cm/a. From these fast rock glaciers we selected six (Gorodetzky, Morenny, Archaly, Ordzhonikidze, Karakoram, and Kugalan Tash) and studied them in more detail using offset tracking between repeat aerial images and historical and modern high-resolution optical satellite data. Two of these rock glaciers showed a steady increase in decadal surface velocities from the 1950s onwards, with speeds being roughly 2 to 4 times higher in recent years compared to the 1950s and 1960s. Three rock glaciers showed similar accelerations over the last 1 to 2 decades but also phases of increased speeds in the 1960s. This development indicates a possible significant increase in current sediment and ice fluxes through rock glaciers and implies that their material transport in the region might gain geomorphodynamic importance relative to material transport by glaciers, assuming the latter decreases together with the regional glacier shrinkage. The study demonstrates how air and satellite image archives are exploited to construct one of the longest decennial times series of rock glacier speeds currently available. Our results are in line with findings from Europe about rock glacier speeds increasing with atmospheric warming and underline local variability of such an overall response.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Late solitary bone metastasis of a primary pulmonary synovial sarcoma with SYT-SSX1 translocation type: case report with a long follow-up

Primary synovial sarcoma outside its classical presentation in para-articular soft tissue of young patients is rare but regularly reported. One of the rarest primary locations is the lung. We describe a 73-year-old female patient who presented with a solitary malignant bone tumor 8years after the resection of a lung neoplasm. The bone tumor was classified as an osteosarcoma and the lung tumor as an atypical carcinoid tumor at their first respective diagnostic work-ups. The resection of the affected humerus with allograft and endoprosthesis implantation followed. Reevaluation of the tumor samples at the time of the local recurrence of the bone tumor 6years following the initial symptoms of the bone tumor lead to the reclassification of both specimens as synovial sarcomas. Both neoplasms contained the SYT-SSX1 type of the diagnostic translocation t(X;18) as detected by the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis. The patient died 14years after the resection of the primary synovial sarcoma of the lung and 6years following the occurrence of the bone metastasis. This prolonged clinical course is uncommon for the SYT-SSX1 translocation, which, in other locations, is usually associated with an unfavorable prognosi

Wind Power Electricity: The Bigger the Turbine, The Greener the Electricity?

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Minimally invasive, imaging guided virtual autopsy compared to conventional autopsy in foetal, newborn and infant cases: study protocol for the paediatric virtual autopsy trial

BACKGROUND: In light of declining autopsy rates around the world, post-mortem MR imaging is a promising alternative to conventional autopsy in the investigation of infant death. A major drawback of this non-invasive autopsy approach is the fact that histopathological and microbiological examination of the tissue is not possible. The objective of this prospective study is to compare the performance of minimally invasive, virtual autopsy, including CT-guided biopsy, with conventional autopsy procedures in a paediatric population. METHODS/DESIGN: Foetuses, newborns and infants that are referred for autopsy at three different institutions associated with the University of Zurich will be eligible for recruitment. All bodies will be examined with a commercial CT and a 3 Tesla MRI scanner, masked to the results of conventional autopsy. After cross-sectional imaging, CT-guided tissue sampling will be performed by a multifunctional robotic system (Virtobot) allowing for automated post-mortem biopsies. Virtual autopsy results will be classified with regards to the likely final diagnosis and major pathological findings and compared to the results of conventional autopsy, which remains the diagnostic gold standard. DISCUSSION: There is an urgent need for the development of alternative post-mortem examination methods, not only as a counselling tool for families and as a quality control measure for clinical diagnosis and treatment but also as an instrument to advance medical knowledge and clinical practice. This interdisciplinary study will determine whether virtual autopsy will narrow the gap in information between non-invasive and traditional autopsy procedures. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01888380

Greenland-wide inventory of ice marginal lakes using a multi-method approach.

Ice marginal lakes are a dynamic component of terrestrial meltwater storage at the margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Despite their significance to the sea level budget, local flood hazards and bigeochemical fluxes, there is a lack of Greenland-wide research into ice marginal lakes. Here, a detailed multi-sensor inventory of Greenland's ice marginal lakes is presented based on three well-established detection methods to form a unified remote sensing approach. The inventory consists of 3347 ([Formula: see text]%) ice marginal lakes ([Formula: see text]) detected for the year 2017. The greatest proportion of lakes lie around Greenland's ice caps and mountain glaciers, and the southwest margin of the ice sheet. Through comparison to previous studies, a [Formula: see text]% increase in lake frequency is evident over the west margin of the ice sheet since 1985. This suggests it is becoming increasingly important to include ice marginal lakes in future sea level projections, where these lakes will form a dynamic storage of meltwater that can influence outlet glacier dynamics. Comparison to existing global glacial lake inventories demonstrate that up to 56% of ice marginal lakes could be unaccounted for in global estimates of ice marginal lake change, likely due to the reliance on a single lake detection method

Heterogenous humoral and cellular immune responses with distinct trajectories post-SARS-CoV-2 infection in a population-based cohort

To better understand the development of SARS-CoV-2-specific immunity over time, a detailed evaluation of humoral and cellular responses is required. Here, we characterize anti-Spike (S) IgA and IgG in a representative population-based cohort of 431 SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals up to 217 days after diagnosis, demonstrating that 85% develop and maintain anti-S responses. In a subsample of 64 participants, we further assess anti-Nucleocapsid (N) IgG, neutralizing antibody activity, and T cell responses to Membrane (M), N, and S proteins. In contrast to S-specific antibody responses, anti-N IgG levels decline substantially over time and neutralizing activity toward Delta and Omicron variants is low to non-existent within just weeks of Wildtype SARS-CoV-2 infection. Virus-specific T cells are detectable in most participants, albeit more variable than antibody responses. Cluster analyses of the co-evolution of antibody and T cell responses within individuals identify five distinct trajectories characterized by specific immune patterns and clinical factors. These findings demonstrate the relevant heterogeneity in humoral and cellular immunity to SARS-CoV-2 while also identifying consistent patterns where antibody and T cell responses may work in a compensatory manner to provide protection

Early detection and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 genomic variants in wastewater using COJAC

The continuing emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants of interest emphasizes the need for early detection and epidemiological surveillance of novel variants. We used genomic sequencing of 122 wastewater samples from three locations in Switzerland to monitor the local spread of B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta) and P.1 (Gamma) variants of SARS-CoV-2 at a population level. We devised a bioinformatics method named COJAC (Co-Occurrence adJusted Analysis and Calling) that uses read pairs carrying multiple variant-specific signature mutations as a robust indicator of low-frequency variants. Application of COJAC revealed that a local outbreak of the Alpha variant in two Swiss cities was observable in wastewater up to 13 d before being first reported in clinical samples. We further confirmed the ability of COJAC to detect emerging variants early for the Delta variant by analysing an additional 1,339 wastewater samples. While sequencing data of single wastewater samples provide limited precision for the quantification of relative prevalence of a variant, we show that replicate and close-meshed longitudinal sequencing allow for robust estimation not only of the local prevalence but also of the transmission fitness advantage of any variant. We conclude that genomic sequencing and our computational analysis can provide population-level estimates of prevalence and fitness of emerging variants from wastewater samples earlier and on the basis of substantially fewer samples than from clinical samples. Our framework is being routinely used in large national projects in Switzerland and the UK

Risk factors for detection, survival, and growth of antibiotic-resistant and pathogenic Escherichia coli in household soils in rural Bangladesh

Soils in household environments in low- and middle-income countries may play an important role in the persistence, proliferation, and transmission of; Escherichia coli; Our goal was to investigate the risk factors for detection, survival, and growth of; E. coli; in soils collected from household plots.; E. coli; was enumerated in soil and fecal samples from humans, chickens, and cattle from 52 households in rural Bangladesh. Associations between; E. coli; concentrations in soil, household-level risk factors, and soil physicochemical characteristics were investigated. Susceptibility to 16 antibiotics and the presence of intestinal pathotypes were evaluated for 175; E. coli; isolates. The growth and survival of; E. coli; in microcosms using soil collected from the households were also assessed.; E. coli; was isolated from 44.2% of the soil samples, with an average of 1.95 log; 10; CFU/g dry soil. Soil moisture and clay content were associated with; E. coli; concentrations in soil, whereas no household-level risk factor was significantly correlated. Antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity were common among; E. coli; isolates, with 42.3% resistant to at least one antibiotic, 12.6% multidrug resistant (≥3 classes), and 10% potentially pathogenic. Soil microcosms demonstrate growth and/or survival of; E. coli; , including an enteropathogenic extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing isolate, in some, but not all, of the household soils tested. In rural Bangladesh, defined soil physicochemical characteristics appear more influential for; E. coli; detection in soils than household-level risk factors. Soils may act as reservoirs in the transmission of antibiotic-resistant and potentially pathogenic; E. coli; and therefore may impact the effectiveness of water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions.; IMPORTANCE; Soil may represent a direct source or act as an intermediary for the transmission of antibiotic-resistant and pathogenic; Escherichia coli; strains, particularly in low-income and rural settings. Thus, determining risk factors associated with detection, growth, and long-term survival of; E. coli; in soil environments is important for public health. Here, we demonstrate that household soils in rural Bangladesh are reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant and potentially pathogenic; E. coli; strains and can support; E. coli; growth and survival, and defined soil physicochemical characteristics are drivers of; E. coli; survival in this environment. In contrast, we found no evidence that household-level factors, including water, sanitation, and hygiene indicators, were associated with; E. coli; contamination of household soils

Risk Factors for Detection, Survival, and Growth of Antibiotic-Resistant and Pathogenic Escherichia coli in Household Soils in Rural Bangladesh

Soils in household environments in low- and middle-income countries may play an important role in the persistence, proliferation, and transmission of Escherichia coli. Our goal was to investigate the risk factors for detection, survival, and growth of E. coli in soils collected from household plots. E. coli was enumerated in soil and fecal samples from humans, chickens, and cattle from 52 households in rural Bangladesh. Associations between E. coli concentrations in soil, household-level risk factors, and soil physicochemical characteristics were investigated. Susceptibility to 16 antibiotics and the presence of intestinal pathotypes were evaluated for 175 E. coli isolates. The growth and survival of E. coli in microcosms using soil collected from the households were also assessed. E. coli was isolated from 44.2% of the soil samples, with an average of 1.95 log(10) CFU/g dry soil. Soil moisture and clay content were associated with E. coli concentrations in soil, whereas no household-level risk factor was significantly correlated. Antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity were common among E. coli isolates, with 42.3% resistant to at least one antibiotic, 12.6% multidrug resistant (>= 3 classes), and 10% potentially pathogenic. Soil microcosms demonstrate growth and/or survival of E. coli, including an enteropathogenic extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing isolate, in some, but not all, of the household soils tested. In rural Bangladesh, defined soil physicochemical characteristics appear more influential for E. coli detection in soils than household-level risk factors. Soils may act as reservoirs in the transmission of antibiotic-resistant and potentially pathogenic E. coli and therefore may impact the effectiveness of water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions. IMPORTANCE Soil may represent a direct source or act as an intermediary for the transmission of antibiotic-resistant and pathogenic Escherichia coli strains, particularly in low-income and rural settings. Thus, determining risk factors associated with detection, growth, and long-term survival of E. coli in soil environments is important for public health. Here, we demonstrate that household soils in rural Bangladesh are reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant and potentially pathogenic E. coli strains and can support E. coli growth and survival, and defined soil physicochemical characteristics are drivers of E. coli survival in this environment. In contrast, we found no evidence that household-level factors, including water, sanitation, and hygiene indicators, were associated with E. coli contamination of household soils