Anthropogenic radionuclides in the water column and a sediment core from the Alboran Sea: application to radiometric dating and reconstruction of historical water column radionuclide concentrations

Global fallout is the main source of anthropogenic radionuclides in the Mediterranean Sea. This work presents 137Cs, 239+240Pu and 241Am concentrations in the water column in the southwest Alboran Sea, which was sampled in December 1999. A sediment core was taken at 800 m depth in the area (35°47′ N, 04°48′ W). 210Pb, 226Ra, 137Cs and 239+240Pu specific activities were measured at multiple depths in the core for dating purposes. 137Cs and 239+240Pu profiles did not show defined peaks that could be used as time markers, and they extended up to depths for which the 210Pb-based constant rate of supply (CRS) dating model provided inconsistent dates. These profiles can be useful to test dating models, understood as particular solutions of a general advection–diffusion problem, if the time series of radionuclide inputs into the sediment is provided. Thus, historical records of depth-averaged 137Cs and 239+240Pu concentrations in water, and their corresponding fluxes into the sediment, were reconstructed. A simple water-column model was used for this purpose, involving atmospheric fallout, measured distribution coefficient (k d) values, and a first-estimate of sedimentation rates. A dating model of constant mixing with constant sedimentation rate was applied successfully to three independent records (unsupported 210Pb, 137Cs and 239+240Pu), and provided the objective determination of mixing parameters and mass sedimentation rate. These results provide some insight into the fate of atmospheric inputs to this marine environment and, particularly, into the contribution from the Chernobyl accident.International Atomic Energy Agency Research Project RAF/7/00

From floodplain to aquatic sediments: Radiogeochronological fingerprints in a sediment core from the mining impacted Sancho Reservoir (SW Spain)

The Sancho Reservoir (SW Spain) was built in 1962, about the time of maximum 137Cs fallout, and it has been affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) particularly since the mining cease in 2001. This is a unique scenario for studying the radiogeochronological fingerprints in AMD-affected sediments deposited over the former flood plain. A sediment core sampled in 2011 was analysed for bulk density, 137Cs, 239Pu, 240Pu, 210Pb, 226Ra, 228Ra, 234Th (238U) and 40K, and studied with various radiometric dating models. Bulk density revealed unsteady compaction and likely depositional events. The activity concentrations of 226Ra, 228Ra, 234Th (238U) and 40K were uniform down-core, but declining overall in the upper 0–25 cm, revealing changes in provenance except for 238U, which increased in the top 10 cm likely due to its supply by AMD. The AMD fingerprint was also found in the 239+240Pu/137Cs activity ratio, which increased in the top sediment layers. The 137Cs and 239+240Pu profiles show well defined peaks at the same depth, with inventories being about four times higher than the expected integrated atmospheric deposition in the area. The unsupported 210Pb (210Pbexc) showed a complex non-monotonic profile interrupted at several sections, particularly around the 137Cs peak. The whole dataset cannot be interpreted in terms of continuous sedimentation processes. Based upon correlated features in the bulk density and 210Pbexc profiles, a series of depositional events (likely linked to peaks in the rainfall records) have been identified in the core. These events date back to the period comprised since the construction of the dam until its increase in height in 1972, which likely displaced upstream the main depositional area of riverine loads, as inferred from sediment trap data. The CRS (with a reference date) and (a piecewise) CIC models have been used for complementing and discussing the chronology.Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad CTM2015-68628-

The Zanclean megaflood of the Mediterranean – Searching for independent evidence

About six million years ago, the Mediterranean Sea underwent a period of isolation from the ocean and widespread salt deposition known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC), allegedly leading to a kilometer-scale level drawdown by evaporation. One of the competing scenarios proposed for the termination of this environmental crisis 5.3 million years ago consists of a megaflooding event refilling the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar: the Zanclean flood. The main evidence supporting this hypothesis is a nearly 390 km long and several hundred meters deep erosion channel extending from the Gulf of Cádiz (Atlantic Ocean) to the Algerian Basin (Western Mediterranean), implying the excavation of ca. 1000 km3 of Miocene sediment and bedrock. Based on the understanding obtained from Pleistocene onshore megaflooding events and using ad-hoc hydrodynamic modeling, here we explore two predictions of the Zanclean outburst flood hypothesis: 1) The formation of similar erosion features at sills communicating sub-basins within the Mediterranean Sea, specifically at the Sicily Sill; and 2) the accumulation of the eroded materials as megaflood deposits in areas of low flow energy. Recent data show a 6-km-wide amphitheater-shaped canyon preserved at the Malta Escarpment that may represent the erosional expression of the Zanclean flood after filling the western Mediterranean and spilling into the Eastern Basin. Next to that canyon, a ~1600 km3 accumulation of chaotic, seismically transparent sediment has been found in the Ionian Sea, compatible in age and facies with megaflood deposits. Another candidate megaflood deposit has been identified in the Alborán Sea in the form of elongated sedimentary bodies that parallel the flooding channel and are seismically characterized by chaotic and discontinuous stratified reflections, that we interpret as equivalent to gravel and boulder megabars described in terrestrial megaflood settings. Numerical model predictions show that sand deposits found at the Miocene/Pliocene (M/P) boundary in ODP sites 974 and 975 (South Balearic and Tyrrhenian seas) are consistent with suspension transport from the Strait of Gibraltar during a flooding event at a peak water discharge of ~108 m3 s−1

New evidences of the interplay between a turbidite canyon (Guadiaro canyon, NW Alboran Sea) and current-driven along slope processes

Workshop. Alboran Domain and Gibraltar Arc: Geological Research and Natural Hazards - El dominio de Alborán y el Arco de Gibraltar: Investigación geológica y riesgos naturales - Le Domaine Alboran et l'Arch de Gibraltar: Recherche géologique et risques naturels, 16-18 octubre 2019, Granada..-- 2 pages, 1 figureThe NW Alboran Sea contains geological evidences of the intricate interplay of downslope and alongslope features on one hand, and of the interaction of the Atlantic Waters flowing out and the intermediate Mediterranean Waters (MWs) flowing into the Strait of Gibraltar on the other hand.Both of these interactions are of high scientific relevance and have been studied separately before, but must also be considered together since both phenomena occur simultaneously. The work is based on data acquired during the FAUCES surveys, comprising high-resolution bathymetry and seismic profiles, in combination with a database comprising seismic profiles acquired since the 70s. The interaction between downslope and alongslope processes occurs on both margins of the Alboran Sea, but this interaction is especially complex in the Spanish margin, where the turbidite canyons cut the continuity of terraced plastered drifts. The interaction may vary between the dominance of downslope processes over the alongslope processes (i.e., Almeria turbidite system), the alternation between downslope and alongslope deposits (which is the case of the most recent lobe of the Guadiaro fan) and the influence of alongslope processes over downslope processes. The Guadiaro canyon provides an example of the last case: After a first phase in which the canyon was incised, during a second phase (Pliocene) downslope processes were dominant, as indicated by the chaotic facies infilling the canyon incision. A last phase (Quaternary) characterized by stratified discontinuous facies indicate a greater influence of contourite alongslope deposits. During the stage two and mostly during stage three, the lateral accretion of packages (LAPs) of stratified facies with NE progradation trend have been recognized on its SW side (right margin), progressively invading of the Guadiaro Palaeocanyon and affecting its current location and shape (Fig. 1). These findings have been confirmed by isochore maps, in which a depocentre of Quaternary age runs parallel to the canyon on its SW side. The oceanography of the study area is marked by the closeness to the Strait of Gibraltar, located to the west. The Mediterranean intermediate waters, comprising Western Intermediate Waters (WIW), Levantine Intermediate Waters (LIW) and the upper portion of Tyrrhenian Dense Waters (TDWi), flow along the Spanish margin towards the Strait. On the opposite, the Atlantic Waters enter forming a strong jet into the Mediterranean. These two groups of water masses are separated by a pycnocline, along which internal waves formed in the Camarinal Sill travel eastwards. The NE progradation of the LAPs affecting the Guadiaro canyon points to the much stronger effect of the Atlantic Jet and the eastwardtravelling internal waves over the intermediate MWs directed towards the Strait of Gibraltar. Ultimately, these findings may shed light on one of the reasons behind the sudden abandonment and obliteration of the Estepona Palaeocanyon after the BQD, possibly located where the Atlantic Jet and the internal waves cease their sediment transport towards the NE and where the weaker SW transport by the intermediate Mediterranean Waters become the only alongslope transport mechanismContribution from Project FAUCES - CTM2015-65461-C2-R (MINECO/FEDER

First-in-human phase I clinical trial of a TLR4-binding DNA aptamer, ApTOLL: Safety and pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers.

ApTOLL is an aptamer that antagonizes Toll-like receptor 4 and improves functional outcomes in models of ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to characterize the safety and pharmacokinetics of ApTOLL in healthy volunteers. A first-in-human dose-ascending, randomized, placebo-controlled phase I clinical trial to assess safety and pharmacokinetics of ApTOLL (30-min infusion intravenously) was performed in 46 healthy adult male volunteers. The study was divided into two parts: part A included seven single ascending dose levels, and part B had one multiple dose cohort. Safety and pharmacokinetic parameters were evaluated. No serious adverse events or biochemistry alterations were detected at any dose nor at any administration pattern studied. Maximum concentration was detected at the end of the infusion and mean half-life was 9.3 h. Interestingly, exposure increased in the first four levels receiving doses from 0.7 mg to 14 mg (AUC of 2,441.26 h∗ng/mL to 23,371.11 h∗ng/mL) but remained stable thereafter (mean of 23,184.61 h∗ng/mL after 70 mg). Consequently, the multiple dose study did not show any accumulation of ApTOLL. These results show an excellent safety and adequate pharmacokinetic profile that, together with the efficacy demonstrated in nonclinical studies, provide the basis to start clinical trials in patients.This study was sponsored by aptaTargets S.L. (Madrid, Spain) and was conducted at the Clinical Trials Unit (La Princesa Hospital, Madrid, Spain). The study was supported by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (RTC-2017-6651- 1). Authors acknowledge David Segarra and M. Eugenia Zarabozo (aptaTargets S.L.) for their contribution in the management and funding of the trial, and Alba Singla (Anagram; Barcelona, Spain) for her contribution in the monitoring of the trial.S

Genetic and genomic analysis modeling of germline c-MYC overexpression and cancer susceptibility

Background: Germline genetic variation is associated with the differential expression of many human genes. The phenotypic effects of this type of variation may be important when considering susceptibility to common genetic diseases. Three regions at 8q24 have recently been identified to independently confer risk of prostate cancer. Variation at 8q24 has also recently been associated with risk of breast and colorectal cancer. However, none of the risk variants map at or relatively close to known genes, with c-MYC mapping a few hundred kilobases distally. Results: This study identifies cis-regulators of germline c-MYC expression in immortalized lymphocytes of HapMap individuals. Quantitative analysis of c-MYC expression in normal prostate tissues suggests an association between overexpression and variants in Region 1 of prostate cancer risk. Somatic c-MYC overexpression correlates with prostate cancer progression and more aggressive tumor forms, which was also a pathological variable associated with Region 1. Expression profiling analysis and modeling of transcriptional regulatory networks predicts a functional association between MYC and the prostate tumor suppressor KLF6. Analysis of MYC/Myc-driven cell transformation and tumorigenesis substantiates a model in which MYC overexpression promotes transformation by down-regulating KLF6. In this model, a feedback loop through E-cadherin down-regulation causes further transactivation of c-MYC. Conclusion: This study proposes that variation at putative 8q24 cis-regulator(s) of transcription can significantly alter germline c-MYC expression levels and, thus, contribute to prostate cancer susceptibility by down-regulating the prostate tumor suppressor KLF6 gene

Gaia Data Release 1: the archive visualisation service

Context. The first Gaia data release (DR1) delivered a catalogue of astrometry and photometry for over a billion astronomical sources. Within the panoplyof methods used for data exploration, visualisation is often the starting point and even the guiding reference for scientific thought. However, this is a volume of data that cannot be efficiently explored using traditional tools, techniques, and habits. Aims. We aim to provide a global visual exploration service for the Gaia archive, something that is not possible out of the box for most people. The service has two main goals. The first is to provide a software platform for interactive visual exploration of the archive contents, using common personal computers and mobile devices available to most users. The second aim is to produce intelligible and appealing visual representations of the enormous information content of the archive. Methods. The interactive exploration service follows a client-server design. The server runs close to the data, at the archive, and is responsible for hiding as far as possible the complexity and volume of the Gaia data from the client. This is achieved by serving visual detail on demand. Levels of detail are pre-computed using data aggregation and subsampling techniques. For DR1, the client is a web application that provides an interactive multi-panel visualisation workspace as well as a graphical user interface. Results. The Gaia archive Visualisation Service offers a web-based multi-panel interactive visualisation desktop in a browser tab. It currently provides highly configurable 1D histograms and 2D scatter plots of Gaia DR1 and the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) with linked views. An innovative feature is the creation of ADQL queries from visually defined regions in plots. These visual queries are ready for use in the Gaia Archive Search/data retrieval service. In addition, regions around user-selected objects can be further examined with automatically generated SIMBAD searches. Integration of the Aladin Lite and JS9 applications add support to the visualisation of HiPS and FITS maps. The production of the all-sky source density map that became the iconic image of Gaia DR1 is described in detail. Conclusions. On the day of DR1, over seven thousand users accessed the Gaia Archive visualisation portal. The system, running on a single machine, proved robust and did not fail while enabling thousands of users to visualise and explore the over one billion sources in DR1. There are still several limitations, most noticeably that users may only choose from a list of pre-computed visualisations. Thus, other visualisation applications that can complement the archive service are examined. Finally, development plans for Data Release 2 are presented