Morphology and tectonics of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 7°–12°S

We present swath bathymetric, gravity, and magnetic data from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between the Ascension and the Bode Verde fracture zones, where significant ridge–hot spot interaction has been inferred. The ridge axis in this region may be divided into four segments. The central two segments exhibit rifted axial highs, while the northernmost and southernmost segments have deep rift valleys typical of slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges. Bathymetric and magnetic data indicate that both central segments have experienced ridge jumps since ~1 Ma. Mantle Bouguer anomalies (MBAs) derived from shipboard free air gravity and swath bathymetric data show deep subcircular lows centered on the new ridge axes, suggesting that mantle flow has been established beneath the new spreading centers for at least ~1 Myr. Inversion of gravity data indicates that crustal thicknesses vary by ~4 km along axis, with the thickest crust occurring beneath a large axial volcanic edifice. Once the effects of lithospheric aging have been removed, a model in which gravity variations are attributed entirely to crustal thickness variations is more consistent with data from an axis-parallel seismic line than a model that includes additional along-axis variations in mantle temperature. Both geophysical and geochemical data from the region may be explained by the melting of small (<200 km) mantle chemical heterogeneities rather than elevated temperatures. Therefore, there may be no Ascension/Circe plume

Non-invasive or minimally invasive autopsy compared to conventional autopsy of suspected natural deaths in adults: a systematic review

Objectives: Autopsies are used for healthcare quality control and improving medical knowledge. Because autopsy rates are declining worldwide, various non-invasive or minimally invasive autopsy methods are now being developed. To investigate whether these might replace the invasive autopsies conventionally performed in naturally deceased adults, we systematically reviewed original prospective validation studies. Materials and methods: We searched six databases. Two reviewers independently selected articles and extracted data. Methods and patient groups were too heterogeneous for meaningful meta-analysis of outcomes. Results: Sixteen of 1538 articles met our inclusion criteria. Eight studies used a blinded comparison; ten included less than 30 appropriate cases. Thirteen studies used radiological imaging (seven dealt solely with non-invasive procedures), two thoracoscopy and laparoscopy, and one sampling without imaging. Combining CT and MR was the best non-invasive method (agreement for cause of death: 70 %, 95%CI: 62.6; 76.4), but minimally invasive methods surpassed non-invasive methods. The highest sensitivity for cause of death (90.9 %, 95%CI: 74.5; 97.6, suspected duplicates excluded) was achieved in recent studies combining CT, CT-angiography and biopsies. Conclusion: Minimally invasive autopsies including biopsies performed best. To establish a feasible alternative to conventional autopsy and to increase consent to post-mortem investigations, further research in larger study groups is needed. Key points: • Health care quality control benefits from clinical feedback provided by (alternative) autopsies. • So far, sixteen studies investigated alternative autopsy methods for naturally deceased adults. • Thirteen studies used radiological imaging modalities, eight tissue biopsies, and three CT-angiography. • Combined CT, CT-angiography and biopsies were most sensitive diagnosing cause of death

Influence of the wind on canopy reflectance. The case of maize and wheat crops

National audienc

Record of a Palaeogene syn-collisional extension in the north Aegean region: evidence from the Kemer micaschists (NW Turkey)

In NW Turkey, the medium-grade Kemer micaschists of the Biga Peninsula record NE-directed extension related to ductile to brittle–ductile shearing during the Palaeogene period: a lower limit for their exhumation is given by the Late Maastrichtian age of the HP–LT metamorphism of a similar nearby area (Çamlica micaschists); an upper limit is given by the Early Eocene intrusion age of the post-kinematic Karabiga granitoid, dated as 52.7 ± 1.9 Ma using the U–Pb LA–ICP–MS method on xenotime. Correlations with the northeasterly Rhodope region and integration into the geodynamic regional frame indicate that the Kemer micaschists experienced an extensional deformation connected to a collisional context in latest Cretaceous–early Tertiary times. The Kemer micaschists therefore represent a new area (the first in Turkey), which suffered synorogenic extension in the north Aegean domain at the very beginning of Tertiary times

From late Visean to Stephanian: pinpointing a two-stage basinal evolution in the Variscan belt. A case study from the Bosmoreau basin (French Massif Central) and its geodynamic implications

International audiencePost-convergence evolution of the Variscan belt is characterized by the development of intramontane coal-bearing basins containing volcano-sedimentary successions. In the French Massif Central, K––Ar ages on clay particles from fine-grained sediments of the Bosmoreau basin (Limousin area), help pinpoint the evolution of the basin. In the lower part of the sedimentary pile, illite in a siltstone underlying a volcanic layer previously dated at 332±4 Ma by the U––Pb method on zircon, yields a consistent K––Ar age of ca. 340 Ma. Upward in the sedimentary succession, illite yields Stephanian K––Ar ages, which can be combined to provide a mean deposition age of 296.5±3.5 Ma. The Bosmoreau basin, albeit mainly filled with Stephanian deposits, was initiated during the late Visean, i.e. ca. 30 Ma earlier than inferred from biostratigraphical constraints. During the Stephanian, the same structure was reactivated and late Visean deposits were eroded and subsequently blanketed by thick clastic sediments. These results emphasise a two-stage evolution for the Bosmoreau basin, which is closely related to extensional tectonics identified on basement country rocks, and they are used to propose a geodynamic evolution of the studied area

Identification and evidence for relationships among geographical isolates of Bursaphelenchus spp. (pinewood nematode) usind homologous DNA probes

International audienc