In situ measurements of methane cycling in cold seep sediments containing gas hydrates and brines

The spatial distributions of dissolved in situ methane concentrations and biogeochemical processes were investigated in cold seep sediments containing gas hydrates and brine fluids along the northern continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico and the Northern Cascadia Margin, offshore Vancouver Island. The measured distributions elucidate the role of biogeochemical processes in controlling hydrate stability and provide evidence for a potentially large source of methane directly from brine seeps. To obtain in situ methane concentrations, two novel pore-fluid samplers were developed and tested. While both samplers retained gas samples at in situ pressures, HYDRA used active suction to collect discreet samples while the Pore-Fluid Array used pumps driven by osmosis to slowly collect a temporal record of pore-fluid chemical composition. Within hydrate-bearing sediments, the successful retrieval of 14 in situ methane concentration profiles with HYDRA showed that from immediately adjacent to and as far as 350 cm away from outcropping hydrate, porefluids contained less than 15 mM dissolved methane, a factor of four lower than methane saturated fluids. While undersaturated conditions are expected near the sediment-water interface, these results suggest that hydrates in the shallow sediments are not thermodynamically stable and could be dissolving. However, the observed hydrates may be more stable than theory predicts if their dissolution is kinetically controlled by impurities concentrated on their surfaces. Hydrate stability was not strongly affected by biogeochemical processes occurring adjacent to hydrate. Spatial variability in rates of sulfate reduction and anaerobic methane oxidation were largely controlled by the availability of petroleum and/or chemosynthetically derived carbon, rather than by distance from hydrate deposits. In brine filled sediments, in situ dissolved methane concentrations reached 25 mM and steep chloride concentration gradients could be explained by upward advection rates that varied between 3 and 65 cm/year. As there was no indication of methane oxidation in these brine sediments, these sites may be an important direct source of methane to the oceans. The combined results of this study demonstrate the importance of in situ quantification of methane concentrations and biogeochemical processes within hydrate and brine sediments

Experiences of students of color who decide to join and pursue active membership in an Interfraternity Council (IFC) fraternity at a predominantly white academic institution

This thesis explored the experiences of male students of color currently enrolled in a predominantly White academic institution, in a predominantly White region of the United States of America who were also initiated and involved in an IFC fraternity. The focus of the qualitative study examined the experiences of students who have chosen to join and pursue active membership within a housed IFC fraternity as a student of color. Utilizing a sample of six student interviews along with a review of relevant literature, the principal findings of this study are that students of color are fulfilled in their decision to join and pursue IFC fraternity membership and have had rewarding experiences thus far. Many themes emerged that highlighted the importance of a student's background and life prior to college and the role it plays on the decision to join and the experiences that occur within an IFC fraternity. The final finding suggested that the significance of race was downplayed within the IFC fraternity experience and there is a focus of assimilation amongst the students of color

Methylmercury Contamination of Laboratory Animal Diets

In the midst of research focusing on the neurodevelopmental effects of mercury vapor in rats, we detected significant levels of mercury (30–60 ng/g) in the blood of nonexposed control subjects. We determined that the dominant form of the mercury was organic and that the standard laboratory chow we used in our vivarium was the source of the contamination. The dietary levels were deemed of potential biologic significance, even though they might have fallen below the limits of measurement specified by the supplier. All investigators employing animals in research must assess such potential contamination because dietary agents may alter a) conclusions based on intentionally administered doses, b) outcomes by interacting with other agents that are the primary focus of the research, and c) outcomes of research unrelated to the toxic effects of experimentally administered agents

Microbial community structure and methane-cycling activity of subsurface sediments at Mississippi Canyon 118 before the Deepwater Horizon disaster

The Deepwater Horizon disaster caused a shift in microbial communities in Gulf of Mexico seawater, but less is known about the baseline for microbial communities in the underlying sediments. We compared 16S rRNA and functional gene sequences deriving from DNA and RNA with geochemical profiles (sulfate and methane concentrations, δ13C of methane and carbon dioxide, and chloride concentrations) of a sediment gravity core from the upper continental slope of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico (MC118) in 2008, 15 km from the spill site. The highest number of archaeal sequences were ANME-1 and ANME-2 archaea in the sulfate-reducing upper core segments (12 and 42 cmbsf), ANME-1 and Methanomicrobiales in the middle methanogenic depths (200 and 235 cmbsf), and ANME-1 at the deepest depths (309, 400, and 424 cmbsf). The presence of mcrA gene transcripts showed that members of the ANME-1 group are active throughout the core and transcribe the mcrA gene, a key gene of methanogenesis and anaerobic methane oxidation. The bacterial community consists mostly of members of the Deltaproteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Cytophaga, Epsilonproteobacteria, and the Japan Sea Group 1 throughout the core. The commonly detected genera of gammaproteobacterial hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in the water column are not found in this sediment survey, indicating that the benthic sediment is an unlikely reservoir for these aerobes. However, the sediments contain members of the sulfate-reducing families Desulfobulbaceae and Desulfobacteraceae, some members of which degrade and completely oxidize aromatic hydrocarbons and alkanes, and the Desulfobacterium anilini lineage of obligately aromatics-degrading sulfate reducers. Thus, the benthic sediments are the most likely reservoir for the active deltaproteobacterial populations that were observed repeatedly after the Deepwater Horizon spill in the fall of 2010

La reducción de la fecundidad en un programa de salud materno infantil

Incluye BibliografíaPublicado en Estudios de Planificación Familiar, vol. 6, 197

Sustained in situ measurements of dissolved oxygen, methane and water transport processes in the benthic boundary layer at MC118, northern Gulf of Mexico

Within months of the BP Macondo Wellhead blowout, elevated methane concentrations within the water column revealed a significant retention of light hydrocarbons in deep waters plus corresponding dissolved oxygen (DO) deficits. However, chemical plume tracking efforts were hindered by a lack of in situ monitoring capabilities. Here, we describe results from in situ time-series, lander-based investigations of physical and biogeochemical processes controlling dissolved oxygen, and methane at Mississippi Canyon lease block 118 (~18 km from the oil spill) conducted shortly after the blowout through April 2012. Multiple sensor arrays plus open-cylinder flux chambers ("chimneys") deployed from a benthic lander collected oxygen, methane, pressure, and current speed and direction data within one meter of the seafloor. The ROVARD lander system was deployed for an initial 21-day test experiment (9/13/2010-10/04/2010) at 882 m depth before a longer 160-day deployment (10/24/2011-4/01/2012) at 884 m depth. Temporal variability in current directions and velocities and water temperatures revealed strong influences of bathymetrically steered currents and overlying along-shelf flows on local and regional water transport processes. DO concentrations and temperature were inversely correlated as a result of water mass mixing processes. Flux chamber measurements during the 160-day deployment revealed total oxygen utilization (TOU) averaging 11.6 mmol/m2 day. Chimney DO concentrations measured during the 21-day deployment exhibited quasi-daily variations apparently resulting from an interaction between near inertial waves and the steep topography of an elevated scarp immediately adjacent to the 21-day deployment site that modulated currents at the top of the chimney. Variability in dissolved methane concentrations suggested significant temporal variability in gas release from nearby hydrocarbon seeps and/or delivery by local water transport processes. Free-vehicle (lander) monitoring over time scales of months to years utilizing in situ sensors can provide an understanding of processes controlling water transport, respiration and the fate and impacts of accidental and natural gas and oil releases

Deep learning for real-time multi-class segmentation of artefacts in lung ultrasound

Lung ultrasound (LUS) has emerged as a safe and cost-effective modality for assessing lung health, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, interpreting LUS images remains challenging due to its reliance on artefacts, leading to operator variability and limiting its practical uptake. To address this, we propose a deep learning pipeline for multi-class segmentation of objects (ribs, pleural line) and artefacts (A-lines, B-lines, B-line confluence) in ultrasound images of a lung training phantom. Lightweight models achieved a mean Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) of 0.74, requiring fewer than 500 training images. Applying this method in real-time, at up to 33.4 frames per second in inference, allows enhanced visualisation of these features in LUS images. This could be useful in providing LUS training and helping to address the skill gap. Moreover, the segmentation masks obtained from this model enable the development of explainable measures of disease severity, which have the potential to assist in the triage and management of patients. We suggest one such semi-quantitative measure called the B-line Artefact Score, which is related to the percentage of an intercostal space occupied by B-lines and in turn may be associated with the severity of a number of lung conditions. Moreover, we show how transfer learning could be used to train models for small datasets of clinical LUS images, identifying pathologies such as simple pleural effusions and lung consolidation with DSC values of 0.48 and 0.32 respectively. Finally, we demonstrate how such DL models could be translated into clinical practice, implementing the phantom model alongside a portable point-of-care ultrasound system, facilitating bedside assessment and improving the accessibility of LUS

Observer agreement for small bowel ultrasound in Crohn's disease: results from the METRIC trial

PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate interobserver agreement for small bowel ultrasound (SBUS) in newly diagnosed and relapsing Crohn's disease. METHODS: A subset of patients recruited to a prospective trial comparing the diagnostic accuracy of MR enterography and SBUS underwent a second SBUS performed by one of a pool of six practitioners, who recorded the presence, activity and location of small bowel and colonic disease. Detailed segmental mural and extra-mural observations were also scored. Interobserver variability was expressed as percentage agreement with a construct reference standard, split by patient cohort, grouping disease as present or absent. Prevalence adjusted bias adjusted kappa (PABAK), and simple percentage agreement between practitioners, irrespective of the reference standard, were calculated. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients (11 new diagnosis, 27 relapse) were recruited from two sites. Overall percentage agreement for small bowel disease presence against the consensus reference was 82% (52-95% (95%CI)), kappa coefficient (κ) 0.64, (substantial agreement) for new diagnosis and 81%, κ 0.63 (substantial agreement) for the relapsing cohort. Agreement for colonic disease presence was 64%, κ 0.27 (fair agreement) in new diagnosis and 78%,κ 0.56 (moderate agreement) in the relapsing cohort. Simple agreement between practitioners was 84% and 87% for small bowel and colonic disease presence respectively. Practitioners agreed on small bowel disease activity in 24/27 (89%) where both identified disease. Kappa agreement for detailed mural observations ranged from κ 0.00 to 1.00. CONCLUSION: There is substantial practitioner agreement for small bowel disease presence in newly diagnosed and relapsing CD patients, supporting wider dissemination of enteric US

Hydrologic controls of methane dynamics in Karst subterranean estuaries

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2019. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Global Biogeochemical Cycles 32(12), (2019): 1759-1775, doi:10.1029/2018GB006026.Karst subterranean estuaries (KSEs) extend into carbonate platforms along 12% of all coastlines. A recent study has shown that microbial methane (CH4) consumption is an important component of the carbon cycle and food web dynamics within flooded caves that permeate KSEs. In this study, we obtained high‐resolution (~2.5‐day) temporal records of dissolved methane concentrations and its stable isotopic content (δ13C) to evaluate how regional meteorology and hydrology control methane dynamics in KSEs. Our records show that less methane was present in the anoxic fresh water during the wet season (4,361 ± 89 nM) than during the dry season (5,949 ± 132 nM), suggesting that the wet season hydrologic regime enhances mixing of methane and other constituents into the underlying brackish water. The δ13C of the methane (−38.1 ± 1.7‰) in the brackish water was consistently more 13C‐enriched than fresh water methane (−65.4 ± 0.4‰), implying persistent methane oxidation in the cave. Using a hydrologically based mass balance model, we calculate that methane consumption in the KSE was 21–28 mg CH4·m−2·year−1 during the 6‐month dry period, which equates to ~1.4 t of methane consumed within the 102‐ to 138‐km2 catchment basin for the cave. Unless wet season methane consumption is much greater, the magnitude of methane oxidized within KSEs is not likely to affect the global methane budget. However, our estimates constrain the contribution of a critical resource for this widely distributed subterranean ecosystem.Funding for T. M. I. and D. B. was provided by TAMU‐CONACYT (project 2015‐049). D. B. was supported by the Research‐in‐Residence program (NSF award 1137336, Inter‐university Training in Continental‐scale Ecology), the Boost Fellowship (Texas A&M University at Galveston), and the Postdoctoral Scholar Program by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and U.S. Geological Survey. We thank Jacob Pohlman and István Brankovits for assistance with field expeditions. Special thanks to the late Bil Phillips (Speleotech) for the support and expertise provided us during field operations. We also thank Pete van Hengstum for productive discussions and guidance during the development of the manuscript. Michael Casso and Adrian Green helped with laboratory analyses. The manuscript was greatly improved by helpful comments from an anonymus reviewer, Jeff Chanton, and Meagan Gonneea. This work is contribution number UMCES 5541. Any use of trade names is for descriptive purposes and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The authors declare no competing financial interests. Archival data are available through the USGS ScienceBase‐Catalog at https://doi.org/10.5066/P9U0KRVM