Organic matter in rock–water systems of petroliferous basins: interrelationships (a case study: South Caspian Basin)

International audienceGeneralizations and analyses are given of the data accumulated to date on the content of Organic Matter (OM) in formation waters of various stratigraphic complexes, as well as of mud volcanoes, and the correlation with OM in South Caspian Basin (SCB) sedimentary rocks. Results are based on about 300 analyses of formation waters and waters of mud volcanoes, as well as on more than 400 analyses of the content of OM in rocks (outcrops and wells from both onshore and offshore petroleum fields of the SCB). The stratigraphic interval covers the period from the Lower Pliocene to the Jurassic, and the depth interval from 73 m to 6043 m. In these intervals, the values of Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) in reservoir waters vary from 4.1 mg/L to 271.2 mg/L, averaging (219 analyses) 48.9 mg/L. A good correlation has been established between the values of DOM and OM in rocks. Paleogene and Jurassic rocks have the highest correlations. DOM varies with depth with an increase in value from a depth of about 3.3 km, likely due to catagenetic transformation of OM into hydrocarbons in the rock–water system. The highest values of DOM are for waters with mineralization less than 50 g/L. Mud volcano waters are characterized by low levels of DOM and low mineralization, likely due to the condensate nature. The results of the studies show that underground water, as one of the components of a single rock–water system of the Earth’s sedimentary cover, together with the rocks, participates in the processes of hydrocarbon generation and migration

Arctic Ecology: What does one need for a sustainable future?

The future sustainable development of the Arctic region and its environmental protection require cooperation. Perhaps the greatest challenge is to balance the needs of the local population and the need to maintain the pristine nature of the region against the degradation caused by anthropogenic pressures. Here a short discussion is given of a future that allows both economic exploitation but, at the same time, holds the development in check by balancing all requirements to the overarching good of the whole

Sediment Characterization from the Saale 2013 Flooding Event

Die Sedimentablagerungen des Saale-Hochwassers im Frühjahr 2013 werden charakterisiert auf der Basis von Probenahmen aus den überfluteten Uferbereichen im Stadtgebiet von Halle. Diese Ablagerungen werden zum einen klassifiziert nach Art des Sediments (Sedimenteigenschaften: Mächtigkeit, Grobkorn-Anteil, Anteil an organischer Substanz, Trockenfestigkeit) und zum anderen nach Art ihres Ablagerungsraumes  (Lokationseigenschaften: Abstand vom Saale-Flussbett, Bedeckung durch Vegetation, Relief, Untergrundbeschaffenheit). Diese Sediment- und Lokationskriterien werden hinsichtlich der Häufigkeit ihres Auftretens und eines möglichen  Zusammenhangs zwischen Sediment- und Lokationseigenschaften untersucht. Es wird gezeigt, dass sich die Zusammensetzung der Sedimente im Laufe ihres Transports von Süd nach Nord durch das Stadtgebiet von Halle verändert.  Es kommt bis in das Gebiet von Throta/Lettin zu einer  Verringerung der mittleren Korngröße und zugleich zu einer Veränderung der Kornverteilung der abgelagerten Hochwasser-Sedimente. Die Dominanz feinkörniger Sedimentanteile wird zunehmend deutlich, je weiter nördlich die Ablagerung  stattgefunden hat. Außerdem begünstigen weiche  Untergrundbedingungen (wie Wiesen, Kieswege oder  unbefestigte Straßen) die Ablagerung von relativ mächtigeren Sedimenten > 1mm. Im Gegensatz dazu dominieren auf festem Untergrund (wie befestigten Straßen und Wegen) Sedimentablagerungen von < 1 mm Mächtigkeit. Aus der durchschnittlichen Mächtigkeit der beprobten, feinkörnigen Hochwasserablagerungen mit Korndurchmessern < 2 mm lässt sich ein transportiertes Sedimentvolumen von 5 bis 15 l/m2 ableiten. Im gesamten Überflutungsgebiet von ca. 32,8 km2 in Halle ergibt sich ein geschätztes Sedimentvolumen von 3x105 m3 an feinkörnigen Ablagerungen durch das Frühjahrs-Hochwasser 2013.Sediment deposition, after the Saale river flooding event of 2013, is characterized here based on samples taken along the river banks in the flooded region. Based on classifications having to do with both sediment (thickness of sediment; percentage of coarse material; organic material presence; dry strength of the sediment) as well as location (distance to the Saale river; vegetation cover; relief; firmness of the basal layer beneath the flood sediments) it is shown that the transport of fine-grained sediment along the Saale had its direction changed by the flooding in the region between Halle-Trotha and Lettin. There was a sorting of the grain sizes that, on the one hand, lowered the medium grain sizes and, on the other hand, altered the grain size distribution at the same time. The preponderance of fine-grained sediment is more noticeable the further north one progresses along the Saale river. In addition, soft basal  materials such as meadows, gravel paths or dirt roads are associated with relatively thick sediment that is almost always more than 1 mm. In contrast on firm grounds, such as paved roads and sidewalks, the dominance is one of thicknesses smaller than 1 mm. The average thickness of the fine-grained material indicates a transported sediment volume of between about 5 to 15 l/m2. In the total flooded region in Halle of around 32.8 km2 one can estimate some 3x105 m3 of fine-grained material was deposited

Analysis of shared heritability in common disorders of the brain

ience, this issue p. eaap8757 Structured Abstract INTRODUCTION Brain disorders may exhibit shared symptoms and substantial epidemiological comorbidity, inciting debate about their etiologic overlap. However, detailed study of phenotypes with different ages of onset, severity, and presentation poses a considerable challenge. Recently developed heritability methods allow us to accurately measure correlation of genome-wide common variant risk between two phenotypes from pools of different individuals and assess how connected they, or at least their genetic risks, are on the genomic level. We used genome-wide association data for 265,218 patients and 784,643 control participants, as well as 17 phenotypes from a total of 1,191,588 individuals, to quantify the degree of overlap for genetic risk factors of 25 common brain disorders. RATIONALE Over the past century, the classification of brain disorders has evolved to reflect the medical and scientific communities' assessments of the presumed root causes of clinical phenomena such as behavioral change, loss of motor function, or alterations of consciousness. Directly observable phenomena (such as the presence of emboli, protein tangles, or unusual electrical activity patterns) generally define and separate neurological disorders from psychiatric disorders. Understanding the genetic underpinnings and categorical distinctions for brain disorders and related phenotypes may inform the search for their biological mechanisms. RESULTS Common variant risk for psychiatric disorders was shown to correlate significantly, especially among attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), and schizophrenia. By contrast, neurological disorders appear more distinct from one another and from the psychiatric disorders, except for migraine, which was significantly correlated to ADHD, MDD, and Tourette syndrome. We demonstrate that, in the general population, the personality trait neuroticism is significantly correlated with almost every psychiatric disorder and migraine. We also identify significant genetic sharing between disorders and early life cognitive measures (e.g., years of education and college attainment) in the general population, demonstrating positive correlation with several psychiatric disorders (e.g., anorexia nervosa and bipolar disorder) and negative correlation with several neurological phenotypes (e.g., Alzheimer's disease and ischemic stroke), even though the latter are considered to result from specific processes that occur later in life. Extensive simulations were also performed to inform how statistical power, diagnostic misclassification, and phenotypic heterogeneity influence genetic correlations. CONCLUSION The high degree of genetic correlation among many of the psychiatric disorders adds further evidence that their current clinical boundaries do not reflect distinct underlying pathogenic processes, at least on the genetic level. This suggests a deeply interconnected nature for psychiatric disorders, in contrast to neurological disorders, and underscores the need to refine psychiatric diagnostics. Genetically informed analyses may provide important "scaffolding" to support such restructuring of psychiatric nosology, which likely requires incorporating many levels of information. By contrast, we find limited evidence for widespread common genetic risk sharing among neurological disorders or across neurological and psychiatric disorders. We show that both psychiatric and neurological disorders have robust correlations with cognitive and personality measures. Further study is needed to evaluate whether overlapping genetic contributions to psychiatric pathology may influence treatment choices. Ultimately, such developments may pave the way toward reduced heterogeneity and improved diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

Personal Reminiscences of Reinhard Schlickeiser

In 1979, I arrived back at the University of Chicago from a two-year stint in Australia to find a very large German post-doc eagerly awaiting me, so we could work together on transport of cosmic ray electrons perpendicular to the galactic plane [...