Sedimentary facies characterization through CPTU profiles: An effective tool for subsurface investigation of modern alluvial and coastal plains

Cone penetration tests, a method that is typically used to determine the engineering properties of soils, can be used as an effective tool for refined subsurface stratigraphic investigations of alluvial and coastal plains, aside from the geographic location. High-resolution calibration of piezocone penetration tests (CPTU) with 20 sediment cores enabled the detailed characterization of alluvial, deltaic and coastal depositional systems of the Po Plain. Twelve cored facies associations, typical of alluvial and coastal plain environments, were characterized based on four distinct CPTU profiles: basic cone resistance (Qc), sleeve friction (Fs), water pore pressure (U) and friction ratio (FR). Sandy facies associations (fluvial/distributary channel, bay-head delta, transgressive barrier, delta-front/beach-ridge) typically have high (>4 MPa) Qc, low-to-negative U and low (<2%) FR. Muddy deposits (well-drained/poorly-drained floodplain, swamp, lagoon and prodelta) exhibit opposite trends. Heterolithic facies associations (crevasse-levee, offshore/delta-front transition) display characteristic seesaw profiles. Plotting of late Quaternary deposits onto the latest version of the cone penetration test typical soil behaviour chart (Robertson, 2010) enables the identification of distinctive facies associations reflecting distinctive grain size. CPTU interpretation leads to sedimentary facies recognition well beyond the simple lithological differentiation and, in particular, allows the refined characterization of clay-rich and silt-rich depositional units (swamp clays and peats, central-inner and outer lagoon, proximal/distal prodelta deposits) that exhibit only subtle differences in lithology. CPTU data can also serve for the accurate detection of key stratigraphic surfaces with potential engineering applications, such as the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary. This latter, a common feature of several alluvial and coastal plain successions, is commonly marked by an abrupt upward decrease of basic cone resistance and sleeve friction from Late Pleistocene, pedogenized, stiff strata to overlying Holocene, organic-rich, soft deposits. This study offers an updated CPTU-facies characterization method that could be suitable for subsurface investigations of modern alluvial and coastal plains worldwide

Intestinal perforation after surgical treatment for incisional hernia. iatrogenic or idiopathic?

Intestinal perforation (IP) is a life-threatening gastroenterological condition requiring urgent surgical care, which may present itself as an uncommon complication following incisional hernia repair surgery, most often because of iatrogenic traumatism occurring during the procedure. However, we report a case where a spontaneous onset can be hypothesised. A 60-years-old patient underwent repair of an abdominal laparocele, through rectus abdominis muscle plasty, 5 years after development of an incisional hernia due to exploratory laparotomy for the treatment of acute appendicitis. Xipho-pubic scar was excised and umbilicus and supra-umbilical hernia sac dissected, a linear median incision was performed along the sub-umbilical linea alba, reaching preperitoneal plane to assess any intestinal loop adherence to the abdominal wall. After limited viscerolysis, abdominal wall defect was corrected by 'rectus abdominis muscle plasty' and umbilicus reconstruction by Santanelli technique. Postoperative course was uneventful until Day 29, with sudden onset of epigastric pain, fever and bulge. Sixty cubic centimeter pus was drained percutaneously and cavity was rinsed with a 50% H2O2 and H2O V-V solution until draining clear fluid. Symptoms recurred two days later, while during rinsing presented dyspnoea. X-Ray and CT scan diagnosed IP, and she underwent under emergency an exploratory laparotomy, leading to right hemicolectomy extended to last ileal loops and middle third of the transverse, right monolateral salpingo-ovariectomy and a temporary ileostomy by general surgeon. Twenty-three days later an ileostomy reversal surgery was performed and 8 days after she was discharged. At latest follow-up patient showed fair conditions, complaining abdominal pain and diarrhoea, attributable to the extensive intestinal resection. IP following incisional hernia repair, is reported as uncommon and early postoperative complication. In our case, the previous regular postoperative course with late onset lead us to hypothesise a possible idiopathic etiopathogenesis, because of a strangulation followed by gangrene and abscess formation, which might begin before the incisional hernia repair and unnoticed at the time surgery was performed

The origins of intensive marine fishing in medieval Europe: the English evidence

The catastrophic impact of fishing pressure on species such as cod and herring is well documented. However, the antiquity of their intensive exploitation has not been established. Systematic catch statistics are only available for ca. 100 years, but large-scale fishing industries existed in medieval Europe and the expansion of cod fishing from the fourteenth century (first in Iceland, then in Newfoundland) played an important role in the European colonization of the Northwest Atlantic. History has demonstrated the scale of these late medieval and post-medieval fisheries, but only archaeology can illuminate earlier practices. Zooarchaeological evidence shows that the clearest changes in marine fishing in England between AD 600 and 1600 occurred rapidly around AD 1000 and involved large increases in catches of herring and cod. Surprisingly, this revolution predated the documented post-medieval expansion of England's sea fisheries and coincided with the Medieval Warm Period-when natural herring and cod productivity was probably low in the North Sea. This counterintuitive discovery can be explained by the concurrent rise of urbanism and human impacts on freshwater ecosystems. The search for 'pristine' baselines regarding marine ecosystems will thus need to employ medieval palaeoecological proxies in addition to recent fisheries data and early modern historical records

Provenance and sediment dispersal in the Po-Adriatic source-to-sink system unraveled by bulk-sediment geochemistry and its linkage to catchment geology

The Po-Adriatic region offers an excellent case for reconstructing sediment provenance and transport pathways of a multi-sourced sediment-routing system. Through a comprehensive set of ~1,400 geochemical data, a model for provenance and sediment flux was built based on distinct compositional fingerprints of 53 fluvial systems and their comparison to coastal, shelf and deep-marine sediments. Geochemically unique catchment lithologies (mafic/ultramafic rocks, limestones and dolostones) were used as end-members to assess exclusive source-rock signatures. Following calibration with sedimentary facies, selected key elements and element ratios poorly sensitive to particle size (Ni/Cr, MgO, Ni/Al2O3, Cr/V, Ca/Al2O3 and Ce/V) were adopted as provenance indicators. The high-Ni and high-Cr source-rock signature of mafic/ultramafic rocks widely exposed in the Po River watershed and along the Albanian Dinarides contrasts markedly with the high-Ca (and locally high-Mg) geochemical composition of Eastern Alpine, Apennine, and Eastern Adriatic (Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia) river catchments, which are, instead, carbonate-rich and virtually ophiolite-free. Relatively high Ce values from Apulian river samples serve as a key marker for a minor, but very distinct sediment provenance from southern Apennine alkaline volcanic rocks. Despite along-shore mixing and dilution with sediment sourced from other river catchments, the geochemical signature of Adriatic shelf muds primarily reflects composition of sediment eroded from the contiguous continental areas. Chromium-rich and nickel-rich detritus generated in mafic and ultramafic complexes of the Western Alps and conveyed through the Po River into the Adriatic Sea records a geochemical signal that can be traced downstream as long as 1000 km, from the Alpine zone of sediment production to the area of final deposition, offshore Apulia. While longitudinal dispersion linked to the general cyclonic, counter-clockwise Adriatic circulation is prevailing along the Western Adriatic Sea, conspicuous detrital input from transversal pathways to the deep sea is revealed across the Eastern Adriatic shelf using heavy metals as provenance tracers. Estimates of fluvial sediment loads and compositional fingerprinting of fluvial, coastal and shelf sediments indicate that previously neglected ophiolite-rich successions of Albania represent a major sediment-conveyor to the offshore sinks (Southern Adriatic Deep and Mid-Adriatic Deep) through significant cross-shore and NNW-directed sediment transport in the Eastern Adriatic Sea. A cut-off value of the Ni/Cr ratio targeted around 0.8 represents an effective tool for the differentiation in marine sediments of Ni-rich (serpentine-rich) ophiolite detritus of Albanian origin from mafic/ultramafic sources of Alpine affinity. High trace-metal contents found within the Adriatic deep basin are mostly of natural origin and only minimally reflect metal contamination

Interleukin-15 Plays a Central Role in Human Kidney Physiology and Cancer through the γc Signaling Pathway

The ability of Interleukin-15 (IL-15) to activate many immune antitumor mechanisms renders the cytokine a good candidate for the therapy of solid tumors, particularly renal cell carcinoma. Although IL-15 is being currently used in clinical trials, the function of the cytokine on kidney's components has not been extensively studied; we thus investigated the role of IL-15 on normal and tumor renal epithelial cells. Herein, we analyzed the expression and the biological functions of IL-15 in normal renal proximal tubuli (RPTEC) and in their neoplastic counterparts, the renal clear cell carcinomas (RCC). This study shows that RPTEC express a functional heterotrimeric IL-15Rαβγc complex whose stimulation with physiologic concentrations of rhIL-15 is sufficient to inhibit epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) commitment preserving E-cadherin expression. Indeed, IL-15 is not only a survival factor for epithelial cells, but it can also preserve the renal epithelial phenotype through the γc-signaling pathway, demonstrating that the cytokine possess a wide range of action in epithelial homeostasis. In contrast, in RCC in vitro and in vivo studies reveal a defect in the expression of γc-receptor and JAK3 associated kinase, which strongly impacts IL-15 signaling. Indeed, in the absence of the γc/JAK3 couple we demonstrate the assembly of an unprecedented functional high affinity IL-15Rαβ heterodimer, that in response to physiologic concentrations of IL-15, triggers an unbalanced signal causing the down-regulation of the tumor suppressor gene E-cadherin, favoring RCC EMT process. Remarkably, the rescue of IL-15/γc-dependent signaling (STAT5), by co-transfecting γc and JAK3 in RCC, inhibits EMT reversion. In conclusion, these data highlight the central role of IL-15 and γc-receptor signaling in renal homeostasis through the control of E-cadherin expression and preservation of epithelial phenotype both in RPTEC (up-regulation) and RCC (down-regulation)

Open Data from the Third Observing Run of LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO

The global network of gravitational-wave observatories now includes five detectors, namely LIGO Hanford, LIGO Livingston, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO 600. These detectors collected data during their third observing run, O3, composed of three phases: O3a starting in 2019 April and lasting six months, O3b starting in 2019 November and lasting five months, and O3GK starting in 2020 April and lasting two weeks. In this paper we describe these data and various other science products that can be freely accessed through the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center at https://gwosc.org. The main data set, consisting of the gravitational-wave strain time series that contains the astrophysical signals, is released together with supporting data useful for their analysis and documentation, tutorials, as well as analysis software packages

The potential benefits of low-molecular-weight heparins in cancer patients

Cancer patients are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism due to a range of factors directly related to their disease and its treatment. Given the high incidence of post-surgical venous thromboembolism in cancer patients and the poor outcomes associated with its development, thromboprophylaxis is warranted. A number of evidence-based guidelines delineate anticoagulation regimens for venous thromboembolism treatment, primary and secondary prophylaxis, and long-term anticoagulation in cancer patients. However, many give equal weight to several different drugs and do not make specific recommendations regarding duration of therapy. In terms of their efficacy and safety profiles, practicality of use, and cost-effectiveness the low-molecular-weight heparins are at least comparable to, and offer several advantages over, other available antithrombotics in cancer patients. In addition, data are emerging that the antithrombotics, and particularly low-molecular-weight heparins, may exert an antitumor effect which could contribute to improved survival in cancer patients when given for long-term prophylaxis. Such findings reinforce the importance of thromboprophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin in cancer patients

Open data from the third observing run of LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA and GEO

The global network of gravitational-wave observatories now includes five detectors, namely LIGO Hanford, LIGO Livingston, Virgo, KAGRA, and GEO 600. These detectors collected data during their third observing run, O3, composed of three phases: O3a starting in April of 2019 and lasting six months, O3b starting in November of 2019 and lasting five months, and O3GK starting in April of 2020 and lasting 2 weeks. In this paper we describe these data and various other science products that can be freely accessed through the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center at https://gwosc.org. The main dataset, consisting of the gravitational-wave strain time series that contains the astrophysical signals, is released together with supporting data useful for their analysis and documentation, tutorials, as well as analysis software packages.Comment: 27 pages, 3 figure

Search for Eccentric Black Hole Coalescences during the Third Observing Run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass $M>70$ $M_\odot$) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities $0 < e \leq 0.3$ at $0.33$ Gpc$^{-3}$ yr$^{-1}$ at 90\% confidence level.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figure