Recent Sediments of Makirina Cove (Northern Dalmatia, Croatia): Their Origin Viewed Through a Multidisciplinary Approach

Makirina Cove was formed by the Holocene sea-level rise which caused a marine ingression into the depression formed within Albian–Cenomanian dolomites at approximately 4.5 ka B.P. At present, Makirina Cove represents an restricted, stressed, shallow-marine (<2m) ecosystem characterized by varying seawater temperatures (0–35°C) as well as fluctuating salinities (up to 41‰) affected by seasonally enhanced evaporation, continuous freshwater supply through on-shore and submarine springs associated with the coastal karst area and surface run-off episodes. These environmental conditions have been conducive to high primary production of organic matter resulting in the formation of organic-rich deposits which contain up to 5 wt.% of organic carbon. Up to the present times, 3.5 m of sediments have been deposited indicating a relatively high sedimentation rate estimated at 0.75 m/1.0 ka in the northern central part of the Cove. The sediments are being deposited mostly as poorly sorted clayey–sandy silts. The distribution and concentration of most of the chemical elements is dependant on the mineralogical composition and granulometric features of the Makirina sediments, which show values more or less similar to those from the Central Adriatic. Accordingly, there is a positive correlation with Al and K concentrations increasing off-shore and with the depth being associated with increasing concentrations of clay minerals within the clay fraction. The same holds true for concentrations of some trace elements, especially Mo and Se which is consistent with the distribution pattern of sulphides. Selenium is preferentially enriched in authigenic pyrite and it is probably the major source of Se in the Makirina Cove sediments. The concentrations of Ca, Mg and Sr decrease off-shore and they are linked to the composition of the surrounding carbonate rocks. The saturation indices show that the water is supersaturated with respect to carbonates enabling the precipitation of authigenic amorphous or crystalline carbonate phases from the pore water in the upper segment of the sediment column. According to the oxygen isotopic (δ18O) composition, molluscs precipitated their carbonate shells mostly during warmer periods (May to November) at or near isotopic equilibrium with their ambient waters. The carbon isotopic δ13C composition of mollusc carbonate shells is environmentally affected due to oxidation and decomposition of organic matter as well as influxes of fresh water into the Cove, indicating their formation out of the predicted isotopic equilibrium with atmospheric CO2. Palynological and organic carbon isotopic (δ13C) composition shows that the sedimentary organic matter (SOM) is 70–90% lipid- and hydrogen-rich and on average 2/3 marine derived (mainly phytoplankton, bacteria and marine macrophytes) and 1/3 terrestrially derived (mainly woody tissue). The variations in composition of SOM have been noted as a function of the distance from the shore. The type and the preservation state of SOM and pyrite as well as the measurements of Eh, pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and the enrichment of redox-sensitive trace elements, indicate oxygen-depleted depositional conditions and that the sediment is highly reductive even in the uppermost segment at the sediment/water interface. According to the results obtained from the applied methods, the features of Makirina sediments strongly reflect the given depositional conditions within this restricted, stressed, shallow-marine environment where these organic-rich sediments originate, and may therefore serve as a calibration standard in further investigations

Recent Sediments of Makirina Cove (Northern Dalmatia, Croatia): Their Origin Viewed Through a Multidisciplinary Approach

Makirina Cove was formed by the Holocene sea-level rise which caused a marine ingression into the depression formed within Albian–Cenomanian dolomites at approximately 4.5 ka B.P. At present, Makirina Cove represents an restricted, stressed, shallow-marine (<2m) ecosystem characterized by varying seawater temperatures (0–35°C) as well as fluctuating salinities (up to 41‰) affected by seasonally enhanced evaporation, continuous freshwater supply through on-shore and submarine springs associated with the coastal karst area and surface run-off episodes. These environmental conditions have been conducive to high primary production of organic matter resulting in the formation of organic-rich deposits which contain up to 5 wt.% of organic carbon. Up to the present times, 3.5 m of sediments have been deposited indicating a relatively high sedimentation rate estimated at 0.75 m/1.0 ka in the northern central part of the Cove. The sediments are being deposited mostly as poorly sorted clayey–sandy silts. The distribution and concentration of most of the chemical elements is dependant on the mineralogical composition and granulometric features of the Makirina sediments, which show values more or less similar to those from the Central Adriatic. Accordingly, there is a positive correlation with Al and K concentrations increasing off-shore and with the depth being associated with increasing concentrations of clay minerals within the clay fraction. The same holds true for concentrations of some trace elements, especially Mo and Se which is consistent with the distribution pattern of sulphides. Selenium is preferentially enriched in authigenic pyrite and it is probably the major source of Se in the Makirina Cove sediments. The concentrations of Ca, Mg and Sr decrease off-shore and they are linked to the composition of the surrounding carbonate rocks. The saturation indices show that the water is supersaturated with respect to carbonates enabling the precipitation of authigenic amorphous or crystalline carbonate phases from the pore water in the upper segment of the sediment column. According to the oxygen isotopic (δ18O) composition, molluscs precipitated their carbonate shells mostly during warmer periods (May to November) at or near isotopic equilibrium with their ambient waters. The carbon isotopic δ13C composition of mollusc carbonate shells is environmentally affected due to oxidation and decomposition of organic matter as well as influxes of fresh water into the Cove, indicating their formation out of the predicted isotopic equilibrium with atmospheric CO2. Palynological and organic carbon isotopic (δ13C) composition shows that the sedimentary organic matter (SOM) is 70–90% lipid- and hydrogen-rich and on average 2/3 marine derived (mainly phytoplankton, bacteria and marine macrophytes) and 1/3 terrestrially derived (mainly woody tissue). The variations in composition of SOM have been noted as a function of the distance from the shore. The type and the preservation state of SOM and pyrite as well as the measurements of Eh, pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and the enrichment of redox-sensitive trace elements, indicate oxygen-depleted depositional conditions and that the sediment is highly reductive even in the uppermost segment at the sediment/water interface. According to the results obtained from the applied methods, the features of Makirina sediments strongly reflect the given depositional conditions within this restricted, stressed, shallow-marine environment where these organic-rich sediments originate, and may therefore serve as a calibration standard in further investigations

Nuclear-localized human respiratory syncytial virus NS1 protein modulates host gene transcription

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of lower respiratory tract infections in the pediatric, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. RSV non-structural protein NS1 is a known cytosolic immune antagonist, but how NS1 modulates host responses remains poorly defined. Here, we observe NS1 partitioning into the nucleus of RSV-infected cells, including the human airway epithelium. Nuclear NS1 coimmunoprecipitates with Mediator complex and is chromatin associated. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation demonstrates enrichment of NS1 that overlaps Mediator and transcription factor binding within the promoters and enhancers of differentially expressed genes during RSV infection. Mutation of the NS1 C-terminal helix reduces NS1 impact on host gene expression. These data suggest that nuclear NS1 alters host responses to RSV infection by binding at regulatory elements of immune response genes and modulating host gene transcription. Our study identifies another layer of regulation by virally encoded proteins that shapes host response and impacts immunity to RSV

Developments in unsteady pipe flow friction modelling

This paper reviews a number of unsteady friction models for transient pipe flow. Two distinct unsteady friction models, the Zielke and the Brunone models, are investigated in detail. The Zielke model, originally developed for transient laminar flow, has been selected to verify its effectiveness for "low Reynolds number" transient turbulent flow. The Brunone model combines local inertia and wall friction unsteadiness. This model is verified using the Vardy's analytically deduced shear decay coefficient C* to predict the Brunone's friction coefficient k rather than use the traditional trial and error method for estimating k. The two unsteady friction models have been incorporated into the method of characteristics water hammer algorithm. Numerical results from the quasi-steady friction model and the Zielke and the Brunone unsteady friction models are compared with results of laboratory measurements for water hammer cases with laminar and low Reynolds number turbulent flows. Conclusions about the range of validity for the three friction models are drawn. In addition, the convergence and stability of these models are addressed.Anton Bergant, Angus Ross Simpson, John Vìtkovsk

Erotic fantasy, spirituality and Song of Songs

Fantasy plays an essential role in sexual activities. This article investigates (erotic) fantasy from a literary text perspective according to Song of Songs in the Christian Bible. The Song, according to many commentaries, starts with a reference to sex in Canticle 1:2, ‘Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine’. Although the word sex is not mentioned in the Song, it is referred to and implied a number of times in the deep structure of the text. The fantasies of this most beautiful woman (beauty, a secondary motif in the Song that is complementary to the main theme of love) are part of the rhetoric of the poet (probably a woman) to convince the reader about the enjoyment and beauty of erotic love. These could most likely stimulate erotic fantasies when reading the text. Part of the poet’s rhetoric is the way in which she describes this most beautiful woman and her most attractive lover using metaphors, allusions, symbols and similes to evoke all sorts of imaginations and fantasies in the mind of the reader to complement the erotic fantasies of the reader. The investigation of the composition and ‘lived experiences’ (spiritualities) of erotic fantasies is approached from the perceptions of how the entanglement of the reader in the text augments fantasies, how the dynamic interaction between the text of Song of Songs and the reader involves the reader in the fantasies and spiritualities of the protagonists and the poet, how the lived experiences of the composed images and erotic fantasies in the text of the Song grip and involve the reader in the text and finally how the use or application of human senses in fantasies can intensify the lived experiences of fantasies. This research points out how God’s love and concern for his creatures are present as revealed in the relationship between two lovers. His love and concern are clearly visible in the enjoyment and pleasure given by God to humans in his creation which the lovers find in each other.Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiolog

Analysis of Blood Stem Cell Activity and Cystatin Gene Expression in a Mouse Model Presenting a Chromosomal Deletion Encompassing Csta and Stfa2l1

The cystatin protein superfamily is characterized by the presence of conserved sequences that display cysteine protease inhibitory activity (e.g., towards cathepsins). Type 1 and 2 cystatins are encoded by 25 genes of which 23 are grouped in 2 clusters localized on mouse chromosomes 16 and 2. The expression and essential roles of most of these genes in mouse development and hematopoiesis remain poorly characterized. In this study, we describe a set of quantitative real-time PCR assays and a global expression profile of cystatin genes in normal mouse tissues. Benefiting from our collection of DelES embryonic stem cell clones harboring large chromosomal deletions (to be reported elsewhere), we selected a clone in which a 95-kb region of chromosome 16 is missing (Del16qB3Δ/+). In this particular clone, 2 cystatin genes, namely Csta and Stfa2l1 are absent along with 2 other genes (Fam162a, Ccdc58) and associated intergenic regions. From this line, we established a new homozygous mutant mouse model (Del16qB3Δ/16qB3Δ) to assess the in vivo biological functions of the 2 deleted cystatins. Stfa2l1 gene expression is high in wild-type fetal liver, bone marrow, and spleen, while Csta is ubiquitously expressed. Homozygous Del16qB3Δ/16qB3Δ animals are phenotypically normal, fertile, and not overtly susceptible to spontaneous or irradiation-induced tumor formation. The hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell activity in these mutant mice are also normal. Interestingly, quantitative real-time PCR expression profiling reveals a marked increase in the expression levels of Stfa2l1/Csta phylogenetically-related genes (Stfa1, Stfa2, and Stfa3) in Del16qB3Δ/16qB3Δ hematopoietic tissues, suggesting that these candidate genes might be contributing to compensatory mechanisms. Overall, this study presents an optimized approach to globally monitor cystatin gene expression as well as a new mouse model deficient in Stfa2l1/Csta genes, expanding the available tools to dissect cystatin roles under normal and pathological conditions

Improving tribological properties of cast Al-Si alloys through application of wear-resistant thermal spray coatings

Flame Spray Thermal Spray coatings are low-cost, high-wear surface-treatment technologies. However, little has been reported on their potential effects on cast automotive aluminum alloys. The aim of this research was to investigate the tribological properties of as-sprayed NiCrBSi and WC/12Co Flame Spray coatings applied to two cast aluminum alloys: high-copper LM24 (AlSi8Cu3Fe), and low-copper LM25 (AlSi7Mg). Potential interactions between the mechanical properties of the substrate and the deposited coatings were deemed to be significant. Microstructural, microhardness, friction, and wear (pin-on-disk, microabrasion, Taber abrasion, etc.) results are reported, and the performance differences between coatings on the different substrates were noted. The coefficient of friction was reduced from 0.69-0.72 to 0.12-0.35. Wear (pin-on-disk) was reduced by a factor of 103-104, which was related to the high surface roughness of the coatings. Microabrasion wear was dependent on coating hardness and applied load. Taber abrasion results showed a strong dependency on the substrate, coating morphology, and homogeneity

Regulation of Cathepsin G Reduces the Activation of Proinsulin-Reactive T Cells from Type 1 Diabetes Patients

Autoantigenic peptides resulting from self-proteins such as proinsulin are important players in the development of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). Self-proteins can be processed by cathepsins (Cats) within endocytic compartments and loaded to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules for CD4+ T cell inspection. However, the processing and presentation of proinsulin by antigen-presenting cells (APC) in humans is only partially understood. Here we demonstrate that the processing of proinsulin by B cell or myeloid dendritic cell (mDC1)-derived lysosomal cathepsins resulted in several proinsulin-derived intermediates. These intermediates were similar to those obtained using purified CatG and, to a lesser extent, CatD, S, and V in vitro. Some of these intermediates polarized T cell activation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from T1D patients indicative for naturally processed T cell epitopes. Furthermore, CatG activity was found to be elevated in PBMC from T1D patients and abrogation of CatG activity resulted in functional inhibition of proinsulin-reactive T cells. Our data suggested the notion that CatG plays a critical role in proinsulin processing and is important in the activation process of diabetogenic T cells