ZINCIAN ILMENITE. ECANDREWSITE FROM A PELITIG SCHIST. DEATH VALLEY. CALIFORNIA, AND THE PARAGENESIS OF (Zn,Fe)TiO3 SOLID SOLUTION lN METAMORPHIC ROCKS

ABSIRACT Two compositionally and petrographicatly distinct populations of ilmenite--ecandrewsite sotd solution, FeTiO3 -ZnTiO3 coexist in a kyanite-bearing schist from the Black Mountains, Death Valley, Califomia. The first population is extremely zinc-rich and has the stoichiometric formula (2n6.17-n.s1Fe6.1s-{.6aMn0.01)Tio3. Single grains span the entire compositional range. The mineral is orange-brown in transmitted light, and occun both as inclusions in gamet and as an abundant phase (*3-5 modal Vo) in the matrix. The second population is opaque in transmitted light occurs exclusively as a matrix phase, and has the stoichiometric formula(Zn, a.1zFeo.ss+.seMno.o1_a.9)TiO3. Single grains aregenerally homogeneous, butthere is compositionalvariationamong grains. The paragenesis of zinc-bearing ilmenite solid-solution in metapelitic rocks is problematic. Thermodynamic calculations and comparison with other reportsd occurrences indicate that ilmenite with greater than a few molvo ZnTiO3 component in metapelitic rocks should be metastable relative to gahnite + quartz + rutile over the range of geologically relevant conditions of regional metamorphism. Keywords: zinc, ilmenite, ecandrewsite, metapelitic rocks, Death Valley, Califomia. SoMMARE Deux membres de la solution solide ilm€nite -ecandrewsite (FeTiO3-ZnTiO3), distincts non seulement en composition mais aussi en aspecn texturalx, coexistent dans un schiste d kyanite provenant des Black Mountains, Death Valley, Califomie. Le premier groupe est riche en zinc et rdpond I la formule stoechiom6trique (Znn.17-a.srFq.1s-n.64Mn0.01)>1.00TiO3. Un seul grain peut contenir l'intervalle complet de compositions. Le min6ral est orange brundtre en lumibre transmise, et se trouve en inclusions dans le grenat et comme phase rdp andue (-3-5Vo par volume) dans la matrice. Les grains du second groupe sont opaques en lumidre transmise, se trouvent seulement dans la matrice, et rdpondent i la formule stoechiomdtrique (Zn6-s.12Fe0.g5-{.saMno.or-0.02b1.00TiO3. Chaque grain est homogbne, en g6n6ral, mais nous d6celons une variation parmi les grains. la paragenbse de la solution solide (Zn,Fe)TiO3 dans les roches mdtap6litiques est 6nigmatique. ks calculs themrodynamiques et une comparaison avec les exemples pris de la littdrature montrent que I'ikndnite ayant plus de quelque pourcents du p6le ZnTiO3 dans les roches p6litiques devrait €tre mdtastable par rapport a l'assemblage gahnite + quartz + rutile dans un intervalle r6aliste de conditions du m6tamorphisme r6gional. (traduit par la R6daction

Crystallization sequence and tectonic significance of andalusite, kyanite, and sillimanite 'triple point' localities, including a new locality: Lesjaverk, Norway.

Rocks containing three Al 2 SiO 5 polymorphs (andalusite, kyanite, sillimanite) are uncommon; only ten localities have previously been reported. By determining the crystallization sequence of the polymorphs, tectonic/metamorphic histories can be unlocked. Two crystallization sequences have been proposed: (1) kyanite -> sillimanite -> andalusite (Idaho, New Mexico, Spain, Italy), and (2) andalusite -> kyanite -> sillimanite (Colombia, Turkey, Iran, Russia, South Korea, and Japan). The newest locality is Lesjaverk, Norway. Sequence (1) suggests continental collision whereas Sequence (2) suggests contact metamorphism. Using petrographic analyses of deformation and accessory minerals, microprobe analyses of rutile grains, temperature calculations using Zr-in- rutile thermometry, and evaluation of element substitution, crystallization sequence, temperatures, and elemental trends will be determined.This research was supported by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), and the Structure, Tectonics, and Metamorphic Petrology (STAMP) Research Group

Marine Ecoregion and Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Affect Recruitment and Population Structure of a Salt Marsh Snail

Marine species with planktonic larvae often have high spatial and temporal variation in recruitment that leads to subsequent variation in the ecology of benthic adults. Using a combination of published and unpublished data, we compared the population structure of the salt marsh snail, Littoraria irrorata, between the South Atlantic Bight and the Gulf Coast of the United States to infer geographic differences in recruitment and to test the hypothesis that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill led to widespread recruitment failure of L. irrorata in Louisiana in 2010. Size-frequency distributions in both ecoregions were bimodal, with troughs in the distributions consistent with a transition from sub-adults to adults at ~13 mm in shell length as reported in the literature; however, adult snails reached larger sizes in the Gulf Coast. The ratio of sub-adults to adults was 1.5–2 times greater in the South Atlantic Bight than the Gulf Coast, consistent with higher recruitment rates in the South Atlantic Bight. Higher recruitment rates in the South Atlantic Bight could contribute to higher snail densities and reduced adult growth in this region. The ratio of sub-adults to adults in Louisiana was lower in 2011 than in previous years, and began to recover in 2012–2014, consistent with widespread recruitment failure in 2010, when large expanses of spilled oil were present in coastal waters. Our results reveal an important difference in the ecology of a key salt marsh invertebrate between the two ecoregions, and also suggest that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill may have caused widespread recruitment failure in this species and perhaps others with similar planktonic larval stages

4th Biennial Employment Law Institute

Materials from the 4th Biennial Employment Law Institute held by UK/CLE in June 1994

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p<0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p<0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p<0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP >5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival