Late Quaternary glaciation in the Hebrides sector of the continental shelf : cosmogenic nuclide dating of glacial events on the St Kilda archipelago

The authors thank NERC-CIAF for funding analysis of the 10Be and 36Cl exposure ages (Allocation 9116/0412), the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland for a grant towards travel expenses.The St Kilda archipelago lies ~65 km west of the Outer Hebrides and ~60 km east of the Atlantic shelf break, and represents a key site for testing the assertion that during the Last Local Glacial Maximum (LLGM; c. 27 ka) the British–Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) extended to near the shelf edge in all sectors. Two consistent cosmogenic 36Cl exposure ages averaging (≥) 81.6±7.8 ka for perched boulders at 290 m altitude demonstrate that the last ice sheet failed to over-run high ground on the largest island, Hirta. 36Cl and 10Be exposure ages for glacially emplaced boulders on low ground indicate deposition by small, locally nourished glaciers that last occupied a north-facing valley (Gleann Mòr) at c. 30.9±3.2 ka, prior to extension of the last ice sheet to the outer shelf, and a south-facing valley (Village Bay) at c. 19.2±2.3 ka, several millennia after the LLGM. Our dating evidence is consistent with previous interpretations of lithostratigraphical, seismostratigraphical and geomorphological evidence and confirms that the last ice sheet failed to encroach on St Kilda. A simple ice-flow model demonstrates that even if thin, low-gradient ice lobes encircled the archipelago during the LLGM, the ice margin can only have reached the outermost moraine banks, ~40 km west of St Kilda, under extremely low (<2 kPa) driving stresses, implying either surge-like transient streaming behaviour at the ice-sheet margin or that the moraine banks relate to an earlier, more extensive ice sheet. The final glaciation of the Village Bay area at c. 19.2±2.3 ka was out of phase with the behaviour of the BIIS, which was undergoing net retreat during this period.PostprintPeer reviewe

PACOMAR 91/92 - Fahrtbericht SONNE 76 [SO76], 20. Dezember 1991 bis 25. Januar 1992

Das PACOMAR Projekt (PAcific COntinental MARgins) ist ein gemeinsames Vorhaben von deutschen und costaricanischen Forschungseinrichtungen. Es wird hauptsächlich unterstützt vom Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie (BMFT) in Form von Zuwendungen an das GEOMAR-Forschungszentrum für marine Geowissenschaften, an das Geologisch-Paläontologische Institut (GPI) der Christian-Aibrechts-Universität zu Kiel sowie an die Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR) in Hannover. Auf Seiten Costa Ricas wird das Projekt durch Kooperation mit der costaricanischen Elektrizitätsgesellschaft (ICE), dem Geologischen Institut an der Universität Costa Rica und der costaricanischen Erdölgesellschaft (RECOPE) unterstützt. Dieses Vorhaben befaßt sich mit der Untersuchung von katastrophalen Naturereignissen, wie Erdbeben oder durch sie erzeugte Flutwellen (Tsunamis), und grundlegenden vulkanischen Prozessen. In diesem Fahrtbericht sind die ersten Ergebnisse der Forschungsfahrt S0-76 mit dem F/S Sonne vom 20. Dezember 1991 bis zum 25. Januar 1992 zusammengefaßt. Diese Ergebnisse sowie anschließende Laboruntersuchungen und Auswertungen an Land bilden die Grundlage für die Pla-nungen und Vorbereitungen einer zweiten Fahrt mit dem gleichen Forschungsschiff, S0-81, im August und September 1992

Widespread erosion on high plateaus during recent glaciations in Scandinavia

Glaciers create some of Earth’s steepest topography; yet, many areas that were repeatedly overridden by ice sheets in the last few million years include extensive plateaus. The distinct geomorphic contrast between plateaus and the glacial troughs that dissect them has sustained two long-held hypotheses: first, that ice sheets perform insignificant erosion beyond glacial troughs, and, second, that the plateaus represent ancient pre-glacial landforms bearing information of tectonic and geomorphic history prior to Pliocene–Pleistocene global cooling (~3.5 Myr ago). Here we show that the Fennoscandian ice sheets drove widespread erosion across plateaus far beyond glacial troughs. We apply inverse modelling to 118 new cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al measurements to quantify ice sheet erosion on the plateaus fringing the Sognefjorden glacial trough in western Norway. Our findings demonstrate substantial modification of the pre-glacial landscape during the Quaternary, and that glacial erosion of plateaus is important when estimating the global sediment flux to the oceans

Physical activity to improve cognition in older adults: can physical activity programs enriched with cognitive challenges enhance the effects? A systematic review and meta-analysis

: EPHPP quality rating scores (DOCX 38 kb

MRI of the lung (2/3). Why … when … how?

Background Among the modalities for lung imaging, proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been the latest to be introduced into clinical practice. Its value to replace X-ray and computed tomography (CT) when radiation exposure or iodinated contrast material is contra-indicated is well acknowledged: i.e. for paediatric patients and pregnant women or for scientific use. One of the reasons why MRI of the lung is still rarely used, except in a few centres, is the lack of consistent protocols customised to clinical needs. Methods This article makes non-vendor-specific protocol suggestions for general use with state-of-the-art MRI scanners, based on the available literature and a consensus discussion within a panel of experts experienced in lung MRI. Results Various sequences have been successfully tested within scientific or clinical environments. MRI of the lung with appropriate combinations of these sequences comprises morphological and functional imaging aspects in a single examination. It serves in difficult clinical problems encountered in daily routine, such as assessment of the mediastinum and chest wall, and even might challenge molecular imaging techniques in the near future. Conclusion This article helps new users to implement appropriate protocols on their own MRI platforms. Main Messages • MRI of the lung can be readily performed on state-of-the-art 1.5-T MRI scanners. • Protocol suggestions based on the available literature facilitate its use for routine • MRI offers solutions for complicated thoracic masses with atelectasis and chest wall invasion. • MRI is an option for paediatrics and science when CT is contra-indicate

RNOP-09: Pegylated liposomal doxorubicine and prolonged temozolomide in addition to radiotherapy in newly diagnosed glioblastoma - a phase II study

BACKGROUND: Although Temozolomide is effective against glioblastoma, the prognosis remains dismal and new regimens with synergistic activity are sought for. METHODS: In this phase-I/II trial, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Caelyx, PEG-Dox) and prolonged administration of Temozolomide in addition to radiotherapy was investigated in 63 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. In phase-I, PEG-Dox was administered in a 3-by-3 dose-escalation regimen. In phase-II, 20 mg/m2 PEG-Dox was given once prior to radiotherapy and on days 1 and 15 of each 28-day cycle starting 4 weeks after radiotherapy. Temozolomide was given in a dose of 75 mg/m2 daily during radiotherapy (60 Gy) and 150-200 mg/m2 on days 1-5 of each 28-day cycle for 12 cycles or until disease progression. RESULTS: The toxicity of the combination of PEG-Dox, prolonged administration of Temozolomide, and radiotherapy was tolerable. The progression free survival after 12 months (PFS-12) was 30.2%, the median overall survival was 17.6 months in all patients including the ones from Phase-I. None of the endpoints differed significantly from the EORTC26981/NCIC-CE.3 data in a post-hoc statistical comparison. CONCLUSION: Together, the investigated combination is tolerable and feasible. Neither the addition of PEG-Dox nor the prolonged administration of Temozolomide resulted in a meaningful improvement of the patient's outcome as compared to the EORTC26981/NCIC-CE.3 data

Relationship between Exercise Capacity and Brain Size in Mammals

A great deal of experimental research supports strong associations between exercise, cognition, neurogenesis and neuroprotection in mammals. Much of this work has focused on neurogenesis in individual subjects in a limited number of species. However, no study to date has examined the relationship between exercise and neurobiology across a wide range of mammalian taxa. It is possible that exercise and neurobiology are related across evolutionary time. To test this hypothesis, this study examines the association between exercise and brain size across a wide range of mammals.Controlling for associations with body size, we examined the correlation between brain size and a proxy for exercise frequency and capacity, maximum metabolic rate (MMR; ml O(2) min(-1)). We collected brain sizes and MMRs from the literature and calculated residuals from the least-squares regression line describing the relationship between body mass and each variable of interest. We then analyzed the correlation between residual brain size and residual MMR both before and after controlling for phylogeny using phylogenetic independent contrasts. We found a significant positive correlation between maximum metabolic rate and brain size across a wide range of taxa.These results suggest a novel hypothesis that links brain size to the evolution of locomotor behaviors in a wide variety of mammalian species. In the end, we suggest that some portion of brain size in nonhuman mammals may have evolved in conjunction with increases in exercise capacity rather than solely in response to selection related to cognitive abilities

Growth and retreat of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet, 31 000 to 15 000 years ago: the BRITICE-CHRONO reconstruction

The BRITICE-CHRONO consortium of researchers undertook a dating programme to constrain the timing of advance, maximum extent and retreat of the British–Irish Ice Sheet between 31 000 and 15 000 years before present. The dating campaign across Ireland and Britain and their continental shelves, and across the North Sea included 1500 days of field investigation yielding 18 000 km of marine geophysical data, 377 cores of sea floor sediments, and geomorphological and stratigraphical information at 121 sites on land; generating 690 new geochronometric ages. These findings are reported in 28 publications including synthesis into eight transect reconstructions. Here we build ice sheet-wide reconstructions consistent with these findings and using retreat patterns and dates for the inter-transect areas. Two reconstructions are presented, a wholly empirical version and a version that combines modelling with the new empirical evidence. Palaeoglaciological maps of ice extent, thickness, velocity, and flow geometry at thousand-year timesteps are presented. The maximum ice volume of 1.8 m sea level equivalent occurred at 23 ka. A larger extent than previously defined is found and widespread advance of ice to the continental shelf break is confirmed during the last glacial. Asynchrony occurred in the timing of maximum extent and onset of retreat, ranging from 30 to 22 ka. The tipping point of deglaciation at 22 ka was triggered by ice stream retreat and saddle collapses. Analysis of retreat rates leads us to accept our hypothesis that the marine-influenced sectors collapsed rapidly. First order controls on ice-sheet demise were glacio-isostatic loading triggering retreat of marine sectors, aided by glaciological instabilities and then climate warming finished off the smaller, terrestrial ice sheet. Overprinted on this signal were second order controls arising from variations in trough topographies and with sector-scale ice geometric readjustments arising from dispositions in the geography of the landscape. These second order controls produced a stepped deglaciation. The retreat of the British–Irish Ice Sheet is now the world’s most well-constrained and a valuable data-rich environment for improving ice-sheet modelling.publishedVersio

RECIST revised: implications for the radiologist. A review article on the modified RECIST guideline

The purpose of this review article is to familiarize radiologists with the recently revised Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST), used in many anticancer drug trials to assess response and progression rate. The most important modifications are: a reduction in the maximum number of target lesions from ten to five, with a maximum of two per organ, with a longest diameter of at least 10 mm; in lymph nodes (LNs) the short axis rather than the long axis should be measured, with normal LN measuring <10 mm, non-target LN ≥10 mm but <15 mm and target LN ≥15 mm; osteolytic lesions with a soft tissue component and cystic tumours may serve as target lesions; an additional requirement for progressive disease (PD) of target lesions is not only a ≥20% increase in the sum of the longest diameter (SLD) from the nadir but also a ≥5 mm absolute increase in the SLD (the other response categories of target lesion are unchanged); PD of non-target lesions can only be applied if the increase in non-target lesions is representative of change in overall tumour burden; detailed imaging guidelines. Alternative response criteria in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumours are discussed