Dimethyl fumarate in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) inhibits inflammasome-mediated inflammation and has been proposed as a treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. This randomised, controlled, open-label platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]), is assessing multiple treatments in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 (NCT04381936, ISRCTN50189673). In this assessment of DMF performed at 27 UK hospitals, adults were randomly allocated (1:1) to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus DMF. The primary outcome was clinical status on day 5 measured on a seven-point ordinal scale. Secondary outcomes were time to sustained improvement in clinical status, time to discharge, day 5 peripheral blood oxygenation, day 5 C-reactive protein, and improvement in day 10 clinical status. Between 2 March 2021 and 18 November 2021, 713 patients were enroled in the DMF evaluation, of whom 356 were randomly allocated to receive usual care plus DMF, and 357 to usual care alone. 95% of patients received corticosteroids as part of routine care. There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of DMF on clinical status at day 5 (common odds ratio of unfavourable outcome 1.12; 95% CI 0.86-1.47; p = 0.40). There was no significant effect of DMF on any secondary outcome

Nickel isotopic compositions of ferromanganese crusts and the constancy of deep ocean inputs and continental weathering effects over the Cenozoic

The global variability in nickel (Ni) isotope compositions in ferromanganese crusts is investigated by analysing surface samples of 24 crusts from various ocean basins by MC–ICPMS, using a double-spike for mass bias correction. Ferromanganese crusts have View the MathML source isotopic compositions that are significantly heavier than any other samples thus far reported (−0.1‰ to 0.3‰), with surface scrapings ranging between 0.9‰ and 2.5‰ (relative to NIST SRM986). There is no well resolved difference between ocean basins, although the data indicate somewhat lighter values in the Atlantic than in the Pacific, nor is there any evidence that the variations are related to biological fractionation, presence of different water masses, or bottom water redox conditions. Preliminary data for laterite samples demonstrate that weathering is accompanied by isotopic fractionation of Ni, which should lead to rivers and seawater being isotopically heavy. This is consistent with the slightly heavier than average isotopic compositions recorded in crusts that are sampled close to continental regions. Furthermore, the isotopic compositions of crusts growing close to a hydrothermal source are clustered around ∼1.5‰, suggesting that hydrothermal fluids entering the ocean may have a Ni isotopic composition similar to this value. Based on these data, the heavy Ni isotopic compositions of ferromanganese crusts are likely due to input of isotopically heavy Ni to the ocean from continental weathering and possibly also from hydrothermal fluids. A depth profile through one crust, CD29-2, from the north central Pacific Ocean displays large variations in Ni isotope composition (1.1–2.3‰) through the last 76 Myr. Although there may have been some redistribution of Ni associated with phosphatisation, there is no systematic difference in Ni isotopic composition between deeper, older parts and shallower, younger parts of the crust, which may suggest that oceanic sources and sinks of Ni have largely remained in steady state over the Cenozoic. Additionally, the isotope profile is in agreement with a profile of Mn concentration through the same crust. This implies a link between the Ni isotopic composition recorded in ferromanganese crusts and the release of Ni into the ocean through hydrothermal activity. This supports the conclusions drawn from surface data, that Ni isotope ratios in ferromanganese crusts are largely controlled by the isotopic compositions of the Ni oceanic input sources

Refined timing of porphyry copper formation in the Serbian and Bulgarian portions of the Cretaceous Carpatho-Balkan belt

International audiencehe Bor district in Serbia and the Panagyurishte district in Bulgaria are part of the mineralized Late Cretaceous Carpatho-Balkan igneous belt. 40Ar/39Ar laser probe radiometric age information from porphyry copper deposits of the two districts in this study provides new constraints on the timing of host-rock emplacement and the hydrothermal alteration that is linked to the porphyry mineralization. In the Bor district, igneous hornblende from the host intrusions has an average plateau age at 84.0 ± 1.5 Ma (2σ). The timing of alteration is constrained by white mica with an average inverse isochron age of 85.4 ± 1.8 Ma and an average plateau age at 86.6 ± 1.0 Ma (elevated by a small excess 40Ar contribution). Together, these analyses indicate that porphyry mineralization occurred around 85 Ma. In the Panagyurishte district previous isotopic studies have produced much older host-rock ages in the northwest than mineralization ages in the southeast. Ages of igneous and alteration mineral separates from Elatsite and Medet in the northwestern and central parts of the district from the present study confirm pluton emplacement at 90.8 ± 0.8 Ma but much younger alteration at 79.5 ± 0.5 Ma. It is proposed that two episodes of magmatic-hydrothermal activity have affected the district, one at ~91 Ma, with the emplacement of the majority of the plutonic rocks, and one at 79 to 80 Ma during which the alteration micas were reset. Integration of these new ages with existing radiometric age information emphasizes the complex history of magmatic-hydrothermal activity along the immature Late Cretaceous Carpatho-Balkan convergent margin

Organisational and procedural justice: a review of the literature and its implications for policing

Organisational justice and procedural justice are complementary concepts that relate to the way individuals make judgments about fairness and outcomes when considering their interactions with others. Organisational justice and procedural justice comprise largely the same concepts, although their foci are different. Inwardly facing organisational justice is particularly concerned with the implications of justice judgments on staff attitudes, staff retention, workplace relations, productivity and performance. Outwardly facing procedural justice is—in the context of this paper—concerned with the interactions between police organisations and the public. This paper reports on the findings of a systematic review of the literature examining organisational and procedural justice in policing. We searched three comprehensive databases for literature on these themes. Fifty-seven empirical items were returned; five relating to organisational justice and police organisations, and 52 exploring procedural justice and police–public interactions. We explore this literature, and consider the implications for policing. We do so to set the scene for the other papers in this special edition. We conclude by noting that the extant literature has much to help police organisations better manage their internal and external relations, but that further effort should be made to turn empirically sound and theoretically interesting research into easily digestible and practically applicable models for police practitioners at all levels of the organisation

Light-induced valence-state switching in BaFCl:La and SrFCl:La

A tetragonal La[2+] center (symmetry C[4v]) was identified in single crystals of BaFCl and SrFCl doped with lanthanum with the aid of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)/electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR). This center forms a donor-acceptor couple with initially present F(F-) centers. Switching takes place by illumination of appropriate wavelength. The kinetics of the process was monitored by EPR as La[2+] and the unswitched F center are paramagnetic. The results of our experimental investigation of this kinetics are presented. A foregoing spectroscopic characterization of the La[2+] center allowed one to identify a d-d (the B[1]-E) transition, a charge-transfer band (for BaFCl at 10 940 cm[-1] and at 17 890 cm[-1], respectively) and to obtain a value of 710 cm[-1] for the spin-orbit coupling constant in the ground state. In order to narrow the choice of possible acceptor-donor partners a detailed EPR/optical search was further done to identify a number of lattice defects and oxygen centers—in addition to a La-oxygen molecular structure