Microstructural characterization of natural fractures and faults in the Opalinus Clay: insights from a deep drilling campaign across central northern Switzerland

Abstract The Middle-Jurassic Opalinus Clay is the foreseen host rock for radioactive waste disposal in central northern Switzerland. An extensive drilling campaign aiming to characterize the argillaceous formation resulted in a comprehensive drill core data set. The rheologically weak Opalinus Clay is only mildly deformed compared to the over- and underlying rock units but shows a variety of natural fractures. While these structures are hydraulically indistinguishable from macroscopically non-deformed Opalinus Clay today, their analysis allows for a better understanding of the deformation behaviour in the geological past. Here, we present an overview of the different fracture and fault types recorded in the Opalinus Clay and a detailed microstructural characterization of veins—natural dilational fractures healed by secondary calcite and celestite mineralizations. Macroscopic drill core analysis revealed five different natural fracture types that encompass tension gashes of various orientations with respect to bedding and small-scale faults with displacements typically not exceeding the drill core diameter. The occurrence of different fault types generally fits well with the local tectonic setting of the different drilling sites and with respect to the neighbouring regional fault zones. The microstructural investigations of the various vein types revealed their often polyphase character. Fibrous bedding-parallel veins of presumable early age were found to be overprinted by secondary slickenfibres. The polyphase nature of fibrous bedding parallel veins and slickenfibres is supported by differing elemental compositions, pointing towards repeated fracturing and mineralization events. Direct dating of vein calcites with U–Pb was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, age constraints can be inferred from structural orientations and fault slip kinematics. Accordingly, some of the veins already formed during sediment compaction in Mesozoic times, others possibly relate to Early Cenozoic foreland uplift. The youngest veins are most likely related to Late Cenozoic regional tectonic events, such as the Jura fold-and-thrust belt to the south and the Hegau-Lake Constance Graben to the northeast of the study area. During these latest tectonic events, previously formed veins acted as rheologically stiff discontinuities in the otherwise comparably weak Opalinus Clay along which deformation of the rock formation was re-localized

Over 1200 drugs-related deaths and 190,000 opiate-user-years of follow-up : relative risks by sex and age-group

Heroin users/injectors' risk of drugs-related death by sex and current age is weakly estimated both in individual cohorts of under 1000 clients, 5000 person-years or 50 drugs-related deaths and when using cross-sectional data. A workshop in Cambridge analysed six cohorts who were recruited according to a common European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) protocol from drug treatment agencies in Barcelona, Denmark, Dublin, Lisbon, Rome and Vienna in the 1990s; and, as external reference, opiate-user arrestees in France and hepatitis C diagnosed ever-injectors in Scotland in 1993-2001, both followed by database linkage to December 2001. EMCDDA cohorts recorded approximately equal numbers of drugs-related deaths (864) and deaths from other non-HIV causes (865) during 106,152 person-years of follow-up. External cohorts contributed 376 drugs-related deaths (Scotland 195, France 181) and 418 deaths from non-HIV causes (Scotland 221, France 197) during 86,417 person-years of follow-up (Scotland 22,670, France 63,747). EMCDDA cohorts reported 707 drugs-related deaths in 81,367 man-years {8.7 per 1000 person-years, 95% CI: 8.1 to 9.4} but only 157 in 24,785 person-years for females {6.3 per 1000 person-years, 95% CI: 5.4 to 7.4}. Except in external cohorts, relative risks by current age-group were not particularly strong, and more modest in Poisson regression than in cross-sectional analyses: relative risk was 1.2 (95% CI: 1.0-1.4) for 35-44 year olds compared to 15-24 year 3 olds, but 1.4 for males (95%CI: 1.2-1.6), and dramatically lower at 0.44 after the first year of follow-up (95% CI: 0.37-0.52)

European Guideline on Achalasia - UEG and ESNM recommendations

Altres ajuts: These guidelines have been developed and funded within the United European Gastroenterology.Achalasia is a primary motor disorder of the oesophagus characterised by absence of peristalsis and insufficient lower oesophageal sphincter relaxation. With new advances and developments in achalasia management, there is an increasing demand for comprehensive evidence-based guidelines to assist clinicians in achalasia patient care. Guidelines were established by a working group of representatives from United European Gastroenterology, European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology, and the European Association of Endoscopic Surgery in accordance with the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument. A systematic review of the literature was performed and the certainty of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. Recommendations were voted upon using a nominal group technique. These guidelines focus on the definition of achalasia, treatment aims, diagnostic tests, medical, endoscopic and surgical therapy, management of treatment failure, follow-up and oesophageal cancer risk. These multidisciplinary guidelines provide a comprehensive evidence-based framework with recommendations on the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of adult achalasia patients

Seventh supplement to the Federated Malay States Government Gazette of Friday, the 7th of December, 1925 (Vol. XVII, No. 24).

No. 779

A prolonged run-in period of standard subcutaneous microdialysis ameliorates quality of interstitial glucose signal in patients after major cardiac surgery

We evaluated a standard subcutaneous microdialysis technique for glucose monitoring in two critically ill patient populations and tested whether a prolonged run-in period improves the quality of the interstitial glucose signal. 20 surgical patients after major cardiac surgery (APACHE II score: 10.1 ± 3.2) and 10 medical patients with severe sepsis (APACHE II score: 31.1 ± 4.3) were included in this investigation. A microdialysis catheter was inserted in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of the abdominal region. Interstitial fluid and arterial blood were sampled in hourly intervals to analyse glucose concentrations. Subcutaneous adipose tissue glucose was prospectively calibrated to reference arterial blood either at hour 1 or at hour 6. Median absolute relative difference of glucose (MARD), calibrated at hour 6 (6.2 (2.6; 12.4) %) versus hour 1 (9.9 (4.2; 17.9) %) after catheter insertion indicated a significant improvement in signal quality in patients after major cardiac surgery (p < 0.001). Prolonged run-in period revealed no significant improvement in patients with severe sepsis, but the number of extreme deviations from the blood plasma values could be reduced. Improved concurrence of glucose readings via a 6-hour run-in period could only be achieved in patients after major cardiac surgery

Recreating the OSIRIS-REx Slingshot Manoeuvre from a Network of Ground-Based Sensors

Optical tracking systems typically trade-off between astrometric precision and field-of-view. In this work, we showcase a networked approach to optical tracking using very wide field-of-view imagers that have relatively low astrometric precision on the scheduled OSIRIS-REx slingshot manoeuvre around Earth on September 22nd, 2017. As part of a trajectory designed to get OSIRIS-REx to NEO 101955 Bennu, this flyby event was viewed from 13 remote sensors spread across Australia and New Zealand to promote triangulatable observations. Each observatory in this portable network was constructed to be as lightweight and portable as possible, with hardware based off the successful design of the Desert Fireball Network. Over a 4 hour collection window, we gathered 15,439 images of the night sky in the predicted direction of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Using a specially developed streak detection and orbit determination data pipeline, we detected 2,090 line-of-sight observations. Our fitted orbit was determined to be within about 10~km of orbital telemetry along the observed 109,262~km length of OSIRIS-REx trajectory, and thus demonstrating the impressive capability of a networked approach to SSA

GRADE Guidelines 30: the GRADE approach to assessing the certainty of modeled evidence—An overview in the context of health decision-making

Objectives: The objective of the study is to present the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) conceptual approach to the assessment of certainty of evidence from modeling studies (i.e., certainty associated with model outputs). / Study Design and Setting: Expert consultations and an international multidisciplinary workshop informed development of a conceptual approach to assessing the certainty of evidence from models within the context of systematic reviews, health technology assessments, and health care decisions. The discussions also clarified selected concepts and terminology used in the GRADE approach and by the modeling community. Feedback from experts in a broad range of modeling and health care disciplines addressed the content validity of the approach. / Results: Workshop participants agreed that the domains determining the certainty of evidence previously identified in the GRADE approach (risk of bias, indirectness, inconsistency, imprecision, reporting bias, magnitude of an effect, dose–response relation, and the direction of residual confounding) also apply when assessing the certainty of evidence from models. The assessment depends on the nature of model inputs and the model itself and on whether one is evaluating evidence from a single model or multiple models. We propose a framework for selecting the best available evidence from models: 1) developing de novo, a model specific to the situation of interest, 2) identifying an existing model, the outputs of which provide the highest certainty evidence for the situation of interest, either “off-the-shelf” or after adaptation, and 3) using outputs from multiple models. We also present a summary of preferred terminology to facilitate communication among modeling and health care disciplines. / Conclusion: This conceptual GRADE approach provides a framework for using evidence from models in health decision-making and the assessment of certainty of evidence from a model or models. The GRADE Working Group and the modeling community are currently developing the detailed methods and related guidance for assessing specific domains determining the certainty of evidence from models across health care–related disciplines (e.g., therapeutic decision-making, toxicology, environmental health, and health economics)

Monitoring and evaluation of breast cancer screening programmes : Selecting candidate performance indicators

In the scope of the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC) the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) subgroup was tasked to identify breast cancer screening programme (BCSP) performance indicators, including their acceptable and desirable levels, which are associated with breast cancer (BC) mortality. This paper documents the methodology used for the indicator selection. The indicators were identified through a multi-stage process. First, a scoping review was conducted to identify existing performance indicators. Second, building on existing frameworks for making well-informed health care choices, a specific conceptual framework was developed to guide the indicator selection. Third, two group exercises including a rating and ranking survey were conducted for indicator selection using pre-determined criteria, such as: relevance, measurability, accurateness, ethics and understandability. The selected indicators were mapped onto a BC screening pathway developed by the M&E subgroup to illustrate the steps of BC screening common to all EU countries. A total of 96 indicators were identified from an initial list of 1325 indicators. After removing redundant and irrelevant indicators and adding those missing, 39 candidate indicators underwent the rating and ranking exercise. Based on the results, the M&E subgroup selected 13 indicators: screening coverage, participation rate, recall rate, breast cancer detection rate, invasive breast cancer detection rate, cancers > 20 mm, cancers ≤10 mm, lymph node status, interval cancer rate, episode sensitivity, time interval between screening and first treatment, benign open surgical biopsy rate, and mastectomy rate. This systematic approach led to the identification of 13 BCSP candidate performance indicators to be further evaluated for their association with BC mortality

A Global Fireball Observatory

The world's meteorite collections contain a very rich picture of what the early Solar System would have been made of, however the lack of spatial context with respect to their parent population for these samples is an issue. The asteroid population is equally as rich in surface mineralogies, and mapping these two populations (meteorites and asteroids) together is a major challenge for planetary science. Directly probing asteroids achieves this at a high cost. Observing meteorite falls and calculating their pre-atmospheric orbit on the other hand, is a cheaper way to approach the problem. The Global Fireball Observatory (GFO) collaboration was established in 2017 and brings together multiple institutions (from Australia, USA, Canada, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and Argentina) to maximise the area for fireball observation time and therefore meteorite recoveries. The members have a choice to operate independently, but they can also choose to work in a fully collaborative manner with other GFO partners. This efficient approach leverages the experience gained from the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) pathfinder project in Australia. The state-of-the art technology (DFN camera systems and data reduction) and experience of the support teams is shared between all partners, freeing up time for science investigations and meteorite searching. With all networks combined together, the GFO collaboration already covers 0.6% of the Earth's surface for meteorite recovery as of mid-2019, and aims to reach 2% in the early 2020s. We estimate that after 5 years of operation, the GFO will have observed a fireball from virtually every meteorite type. This combined effort will bring new, fresh, extra-terrestrial material to the labs, yielding new insights about the formation of the Solar System.Comment: Accepted in PSS. 19 pages, 9 figure