Whiting–related sediment export along the Middle Miocene carbonate ramp of Great Bahama Bank.

International audienc

Nature and origin of carbonate particles along a transect on the western margin of Great Bahama Bank (Middle Miocene): sedimentary processes and depositional model

International audienc

Sapropel-like Pliocene sediments of Sicily deposited under oxygenated bottom water.

International audienc

Component-specific petrographic and geochemical characterization of fine-grained carbonates along Carboniferous and Jurassic platform-to-basin transects

International audienceFine-grained carbonates are present throughout much of the geological record and are widely used as geochemical archives, even though their origin and diagenetic pathways remain poorly understood. Here, petrographical and geochemical properties of granulometrically separated component spectra of marine mudstones sampled along two proximal-to-distal transects (Carboniferous of Spain and Jurassic of Morocco) are documented. These settings represent end members in terms of platform geometry, steep flanked versus gentle ramp, and the aragonite versus calcite sea mode. The data from Spain reveal a bimodal organization of microcrystalline carbonate isotope values from platform top and slope and toe-of-slope settings. The data from Morocco lack a clear spatial and bathymetrical pattern. The significance of the complex, site-specific biological and physico-chemical parameters is emphasized. Mudstones have been separated in granulometric fractions of 8-5, 5-3 and < 3 μm respectively, and resulting particle classes are described and interpreted in terms of their origin and diagenetic pathways. Fine-grained carbonate particles from both sites show remarkably similar size and crystallographic features. Their isotopic composition reflects the volumetrically proportion and component-specific geochemical signature of each particle class. Decreasing particle size classes are characterized by decreasing isotope values. This might be due to an enhanced diagenetic reactivity of the finest micritic particles to diagenetic processes. This implies that stratigraphic differences in mean fine carbonate grain sizes may trigger shifts in isotope values. Mean bulk and mean component-specific isotope ratios from the two case settings differ by about 0.5‰ for carbon and 0.7‰ for oxygen. The results shown here are of general significance for those concerned with fine-grained carbonates-based chemostratigraphy and environmental analysis

Voltage Readjustment Methodology According to Pressure and Temperature Applied to a High Temperature PEM Fuel Cell

The operating conditions can have uncontrolled effects on the voltage of a High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (HT-PEMFC). For instance, the HT-PEMFC can be used at ambient pressure, i.e., without having a back pressure regulator. In this case, the variation in the atmospheric pressure directly affects pressures inside the fuel cell, which induces voltage variation. Moreover, in transient phases, several coupled phenomena can have an uncontrolled effect on the voltage. For example, following a change in the current operating point, thermal conditions in the fuel cell can vary, and the temperature stabilization then leads to a voltage variation. This article introduces a readjustment method for the fuel cell voltage to compensate for the effects of the pressure and temperature variations that are undergone and to decouple their effects. This methodology is based on the realization of a design of experiments to characterize the voltage sensitivity to pressure ([1; 1.5 bar]) and temperature ([120; 180 °C]) between 0.2 and 1 A/cm2 of an Advent PBI MEA (formerly BASF Celtec®-P 1100 W). The data obtained allowed identifying an empirical model that takes into account the aging caused by the experiment. Finally, the methodology is criticized before proposing an alternative method

Mutations in the adaptor-binding domain and associated linker region of p110δ cause Activated PI3K-δ Syndrome 1 (APDS1)

International audienc

Increased risk of severe COVID-19 in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant infection: a multicentre matched cohort study

International audienceBackground: The impact of the variant of concern (VOC) Alpha on the severity of COVID-19 has been debated. We report our analysis in France.Methods: We conducted an exposed/unexposed cohort study with retrospective data collection, comparing patients infected by VOC Alpha to contemporaneous patients infected by historical lineages. Participants were matched on age (± 2.5 years), sex and region of hospitalization. The primary endpoint was the proportion of hospitalized participants with severe COVID-19, defined as a WHO-scale > 5 or by the need of a non-rebreather mask, occurring up to day 29 after admission. We used a logistic regression model stratified on each matched pair and accounting for factors known to be associated with the severity of the disease.Results: We included 650 pairs of patients hospitalized between Jan 1, 2021, and Feb 28, 2021, in 47 hospitals. Median age was 70 years and 61.3% of participants were male. The proportion of participants with comorbidities was high in both groups (85.0% vs 90%, p = 0.004). Infection by VOC Alpha was associated with a higher odds of severe COVID-19 (41.7% vs 38.5%-aOR = 1.33 95% CI [1.03-1.72]).Conclusion: Infection by the VOC Alpha was associated with a higher odds of severe COVID-19

Rare predicted loss-of-function variants of type I IFN immunity genes are associated with life-threatening COVID-19

BackgroundWe previously reported that impaired type I IFN activity, due to inborn errors of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I interferon (IFN) immunity or to autoantibodies against type I IFN, account for 15-20% of cases of life-threatening COVID-19 in unvaccinated patients. Therefore, the determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 remain to be identified in similar to 80% of cases.MethodsWe report here a genome-wide rare variant burden association analysis in 3269 unvaccinated patients with life-threatening COVID-19, and 1373 unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals without pneumonia. Among the 928 patients tested for autoantibodies against type I IFN, a quarter (234) were positive and were excluded.ResultsNo gene reached genome-wide significance. Under a recessive model, the most significant gene with at-risk variants was TLR7, with an OR of 27.68 (95%CI 1.5-528.7, P=1.1x10(-4)) for biochemically loss-of-function (bLOF) variants. We replicated the enrichment in rare predicted LOF (pLOF) variants at 13 influenza susceptibility loci involved in TLR3-dependent type I IFN immunity (OR=3.70[95%CI 1.3-8.2], P=2.1x10(-4)). This enrichment was further strengthened by (1) adding the recently reported TYK2 and TLR7 COVID-19 loci, particularly under a recessive model (OR=19.65[95%CI 2.1-2635.4], P=3.4x10(-3)), and (2) considering as pLOF branchpoint variants with potentially strong impacts on splicing among the 15 loci (OR=4.40[9%CI 2.3-8.4], P=7.7x10(-8)). Finally, the patients with pLOF/bLOF variants at these 15 loci were significantly younger (mean age [SD]=43.3 [20.3] years) than the other patients (56.0 [17.3] years; P=1.68x10(-5)).ConclusionsRare variants of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I IFN immunity genes can underlie life-threatening COVID-19, particularly with recessive inheritance, in patients under 60 years old