Implementation of the World's largest measles-rubella mass vaccination campaign in Bangladesh: a process evaluation

Background: Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, supported a mass vaccination Measles-Rubella Campaign (MRC) in Bangladesh during January–February 2014

Plio-Pleistocene exhumation of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis and its domal ‘pop-up’

The eastern termination of the Himalayan orogen forms a structural syntaxis that is characterised by young (from 10 to < 1 Ma) mineral growth and cooling ages that document Late Miocene to Pleistocene structural, metamorphic, igneous and exhumation events. This region is a steep antiformal and in part domal structure that folds the suture zone between the Indian and Asian plates. It is dissected by the Yarlung Tsangpo, one of the major rivers of the eastern Himalayan–Tibet region, which becomes the Brahmaputra River in the Indian foreland basin before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Exceptionally high relief and one of the deepest gorges on Earth have developed where the river's tortuous route crosses the Namche Barwa–Gyala Peri massif (> 7 km in elevation) in the core of the syntaxis. Very high erosion rates documented in sediment downstream of the gorge at the foot of the Himalaya contribute ~ 50% of total detritus to the sediment load of the Brahmaputra. The initiation of very high rates of exhumation has been attributed either to the extreme erosive power of a river flowing across a deforming indentor corner and the associated positive feedback, or to the geometry of the Indian plate indentor, with the corner being thrust beneath the Asian plate resulting in buckling which accommodates shortening; both processes may be important. The northern third of the syntaxis corresponds to a steep domal ‘pop-up’ structure bounded by the India–Asia suture on three sides and a thrust zone to the south. Within the dome, Greater Himalaya rocks equilibrated at ~ 800 °C and 25–30 km depth during the Miocene, with these conditions potentially persisting into the latest Miocene and possibly the Pliocene, with modest decompression prior to ~ 4 Ma. This domal ‘pop-up’ corresponds to the area of youngest bedrock ages on a wide variety of thermochronometers and geochronometers. In this paper we review the extensive scientific literature that has focused on the eastern syntaxis and provide new chronological data on its bedrock and erosion products to constrain the age of inception of the very rapid uplift and erosion. We then discuss its cause, with the ultimate aim to reconstruct the exhumation history of the syntaxis and discuss the tectonic context for its genesis. We use zircon and rutile U–Pb, white mica Ar–Ar and zircon fission track dating methods to extract age data from bedrock, Brahmaputra modern sediments (including an extensive compilation of modern detrital chronometry from the eastern Himalaya) and Neogene palaeo-Brahmaputra deposits of the Surma Basin (Bangladesh). Numerical modelling of heat flow and erosion is also used to model the path of rocks from peak metamorphic conditions of ~ 800 °C to < 250 °C. Our new data include U–Pb bedrock rutile ages as young as 1.4 Ma from the Namche Barwa massif and 0.4 Ma from the river downstream of the syntaxis. Combined with existing data, our new data and heat flow modelling show that: i) the detrital age signature of the modern syntaxis is unique within the eastern Himalayan region; ii) the rocks within the domal pop-up were > 575 ± 75 °C only 1–2 Myr ago; iii) the Neogene Surma Basin does not record evidence of the rise and erosion of the domal pop-up until latest Pliocene–Pleistocene time; iv) Pleistocene exhumation of the north-easternmost part of the syntaxis took place at rates of at least 4 km/Myr, with bedrock erosion of 12–21 km during the last 3 Ma; v) the inception of rapid syntaxial exhumation may have started as early as 7 Ma or as late as 3 Ma; and vi) the Yarlung Tsangpo is antecedent and subsequently distorted by the developing antiform. Together our data and modelling demonstrate that the domal pop-up with its exceptional erosion and topographic relief is likely a Pleistocene feature that overprinted earlier structural and metamorphic events typical of Himalayan evolution. Keywords: Eastern Himalayan syntaxis; Namche Barwa; Surma Basin; Yarlung Tsangpo–Brahmaputra; U–Pb rutile dating; Thermal modellin

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Bedrock geology of DFDP-2B, central Alpine Fault, New Zealand

<p>During the second phase of the Alpine Fault, Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP) in the Whataroa River, South Westland, New Zealand, bedrock was encountered in the DFDP-2B borehole from 238.5–893.2 m Measured Depth (MD). Continuous sampling and meso- to microscale characterisation of whole rock cuttings established that, in sequence, the borehole sampled amphibolite facies, Torlesse Composite Terrane-derived schists, protomylonites and mylonites, terminating 200–400 m above an Alpine Fault Principal Slip Zone (PSZ) with a maximum dip of 62°. The most diagnostic structural features of increasing PSZ proximity were the occurrence of shear bands and reduction in mean quartz grain sizes. A change in composition to greater mica:quartz + feldspar, most markedly below c. 700 m MD, is inferred to result from either heterogeneous sampling or a change in lithology related to alteration. Major oxide variations suggest the fault-proximal Alpine Fault alteration zone, as previously defined in DFDP-1 core, was not sampled.</p

Petrophysical, Geochemical, and Hydrological Evidence for Extensive Fracture-Mediated Fluid and Heat Transport in the Alpine Fault's Hanging-Wall Damage Zone

International audienceFault rock assemblages reflect interaction between deformation, stress, temperature, fluid, and chemical regimes on distinct spatial and temporal scales at various positions in the crust. Here we interpret measurements made in the hanging‐wall of the Alpine Fault during the second stage of the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP‐2). We present observational evidence for extensive fracturing and high hanging‐wall hydraulic conductivity (∼10−9 to 10−7 m/s, corresponding to permeability of ∼10−16 to 10−14 m2) extending several hundred meters from the fault's principal slip zone. Mud losses, gas chemistry anomalies, and petrophysical data indicate that a subset of fractures intersected by the borehole are capable of transmitting fluid volumes of several cubic meters on time scales of hours. DFDP‐2 observations and other data suggest that this hydrogeologically active portion of the fault zone in the hanging‐wall is several kilometers wide in the uppermost crust. This finding is consistent with numerical models of earthquake rupture and off‐fault damage. We conclude that the mechanically and hydrogeologically active part of the Alpine Fault is a more dynamic and extensive feature than commonly described in models based on exhumed faults. We propose that the hydrogeologically active damage zone of the Alpine Fault and other large active faults in areas of high topographic relief can be subdivided into an inner zone in which damage is controlled principally by earthquake rupture processes and an outer zone in which damage reflects coseismic shaking, strain accumulation and release on interseismic timescales, and inherited fracturing related to exhumation

Physical activity in young children across developmental and health states: the <i>Active</i>CHILD study.

BackgroundEvidence about physical activity of young children across developmental and health states is very limited. Using data from an inclusive UK cohort, ActiveCHILD, we investigated relationships between objectively measured physical activity, child development, social context, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).MethodsChildren (12-36 months), purposively sampled across health pathways, developmental abilities, and sociodemographic factors, were recruited through thirteen National Health Service organisations in England. Data were collected from 07/2017 to 08/2019 on: weekly physical activity (3-7 days) using waist-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph 3GTX); sociodemographics, parent actions, child HRQoL, and child development using questionnaires; and child health conditions using clinical records. A data-driven, unsupervised method, called hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM) segmented the accelerometery data and provided estimates of the total time spent active (any intensity) and very active (greater intensity) for each child. Relationships with the explanatory factors were investigated using multiple linear regression.FindingsPhysical activity data were obtained for 282 children (56% females, mean age 21 months, 37.5% with a health condition) covering all index of multiple deprivation deciles. The patterns of physical activity consisted of two daily peaks, children spending 6.44 (SD = 1.39) hours active (any intensity), of which 2.78 (SD = 1.38) hours very active, 91% meeting WHO guidelines. The model for total time active (any intensity) explained 24% of variance, with mobility capacity the strongest predictor (β = 0.41). The model for time spent very active explained 59% of variance, with mobility capacity again the strongest predictor (β = 0.76). There was no evidence of physical activity explaining HRQoL.InterpretationThe findings provide new evidence that young children across developmental states regularly achieve mainstream recommended physical activity levels and challenges the belief that children with development problems need lower expectations for daily physical activity compared to peers. Advancing the rights of all children to participate in physical activity requires inclusive, equally ambitious, expectations for all.FundingNiina Kolehmainen, HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Senior Clinical Lecturer, NIHR ICA-SCL-2015-01-00, was funded by the NIHR for this research project. Christopher Thornton, Olivia Craw, Laura Kudlek, and Laura Cutler were also funded from this award. Tim Rapley is a member of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria, with part of his time funded through the related award (NIHR200173). The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR, NHS, or the UK Department of Health and Social Care. The work of Kianoush Nazarpour is supported by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), under grant number EP/R004242/2

Physical activity in young children across developmental and health states: the ActiveCHILD study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence about physical activity of young children across developmental and health states is very limited. Using data from an inclusive UK cohort, ActiveCHILD, we investigated relationships between objectively measured physical activity, child development, social context, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). METHODS: Children (12-36 months), purposively sampled across health pathways, developmental abilities, and sociodemographic factors, were recruited through thirteen National Health Service organisations in England. Data were collected from 07/2017 to 08/2019 on: weekly physical activity (3-7 days) using waist-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph 3GTX); sociodemographics, parent actions, child HRQoL, and child development using questionnaires; and child health conditions using clinical records. A data-driven, unsupervised method, called hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM) segmented the accelerometery data and provided estimates of the total time spent active (any intensity) and very active (greater intensity) for each child. Relationships with the explanatory factors were investigated using multiple linear regression. FINDINGS: Physical activity data were obtained for 282 children (56% females, mean age 21 months, 37.5% with a health condition) covering all index of multiple deprivation deciles. The patterns of physical activity consisted of two daily peaks, children spending 6.44 (SD = 1.39) hours active (any intensity), of which 2.78 (SD = 1.38) hours very active, 91% meeting WHO guidelines. The model for total time active (any intensity) explained 24% of variance, with mobility capacity the strongest predictor (β = 0.41). The model for time spent very active explained 59% of variance, with mobility capacity again the strongest predictor (β = 0.76). There was no evidence of physical activity explaining HRQoL. INTERPRETATION: The findings provide new evidence that young children across developmental states regularly achieve mainstream recommended physical activity levels and challenges the belief that children with development problems need lower expectations for daily physical activity compared to peers. Advancing the rights of all children to participate in physical activity requires inclusive, equally ambitious, expectations for all. FUNDING: Niina Kolehmainen, HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Senior Clinical Lecturer, NIHR ICA-SCL-2015-01-00, was funded by the NIHR for this research project. Christopher Thornton, Olivia Craw, Laura Kudlek, and Laura Cutler were also funded from this award. Tim Rapley is a member of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria, with part of his time funded through the related award (NIHR200173). The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR, NHS, or the UK Department of Health and Social Care. The work of Kianoush Nazarpour is supported by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), under grant number EP/R004242/2.Niina Kolehmainen, HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Senior Clinical Lecturer, NIHR ICA-SCL-2015-01-00, was funded by the NIHR for this research project. Christopher Thornton, Olivia Craw, Laura Kudlek, and Laura Cutler were also funded from this award. Tim Rapley is a member of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North East and North Cumbria, with part of his time funded through the related award (NIHR200173). The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR, NHS or the UK Department of Health and Social Care. The work of Kianoush Nazarpour is supported by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), under grant number EP/R004242/2

Extreme hydrothermal conditions at an active plate-bounding fault

International audienceTemperature and fluid pressure conditions control rock deformation and mineralization on geological faults, and hence the distribution of earthquakes1. Typical intraplate continental crust has hydrostatic fluid pressure and a near-surface thermal gradient of 31 ± 15 degrees Celsius per kilometre2, 3. At temperatures above 300–450 degrees Celsius, usually found at depths greater than 10–15 kilometres, the intra-crystalline plasticity of quartz and feldspar relieves stress by aseismic creep and earthquakes are infrequent. Hydrothermal conditions control the stability of mineral phases and hence frictional–mechanical processes associated with earthquake rupture cycles, but there are few temperature and fluid pressure data from active plate-bounding faults. Here we report results from a borehole drilled into the upper part of the Alpine Fault, which is late in its cycle of stress accumulation and expected to rupture in a magnitude 8 earthquake in the coming decades4, 5. The borehole (depth 893 metres) revealed a pore fluid pressure gradient exceeding 9 ± 1 per cent above hydrostatic levels and an average geothermal gradient of 125 ± 55 degrees Celsius per kilometre within the hanging wall of the fault. These extreme hydrothermal conditions result from rapid fault movement, which transports rock and heat from depth, and topographically driven fluid movement that concentrates heat into valleys. Shear heating may occur within the fault but is not required to explain our observations. Our data and models show that highly anomalous fluid pressure and temperature gradients in the upper part of the seismogenic zone can be created by positive feedbacks between processes of fault slip, rock fracturing and alteration, and landscape development at plate-bounding faults