Controls on the location of compressional deformation on the NW European margin

The distribution of Cenozoic compressional structures along the NW European margin has been compared with maps of the thickness of the crystalline crust derived from a compilation of seismic refraction interpretations and gravity modelling, and with the distribution of high-velocity lower crust and/or partially serpentinized upper mantle detected by seismic experiments. Only a subset of the mapped compressional structures coincide with areas susceptible to lithospheric weakening as a result of crustal hyperextension and partial serpentinization of the upper mantle. Notably, partially serpentinized upper mantle is well documented beneath the central part of the southern Rockall Basin, but compressional features are sparse in that area. Where compressional structures have formed but the upper mantle is not serpentinized, simple rheological modelling suggests an alternative weakening mechanism involving ductile lower crust and lithospheric decoupling. The presence of pre-existing weak zones (associated with the properties of the gouge and overpressure in fault zones) and local stress magnitude and orientation are important contributing factors

Сложность алгоритмов криптографической системы Эль–Гамаля и ихэффективность

Objective. - Electrical remodeling as well as atrial contractile dysfunction after the conversion of atrial fibrillation (AF) to sinus rhythm (SR) are mainly caused by a reduction of the inward L-type Ca2+ current (ICaL). We investigated whether the expression of L-type Ca2+-channel subunits was reduced in atrial myocardium of AF patients. Methods. - Right atrial appendages were obtained from patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CAD, n = 35) or mitral valve surgery (MVD, n = 37). Seventeen of the CAD patients and 18 of the MVD patients were in chronic (>3 months) AF, whereas the others were in SR. The protein expression of the L-type Ca2+-channel subunits {alpha}1C and {beta}2 was quantified by western blot analysis. Furthermore, we measured the density of dihydropyridine (DHP)-binding sites of the L-type Ca2+ channel using 3H-PN220-100 as radioligand. Results. - Surprisingly, the {alpha}1C and the {beta}2-subunit expression was not altered in atrial myocardium of AF patients. Also, the DHP-binding site density was unchanged. Conclusion. - The protein expression of the L-type Ca2+-channel subunits {alpha}1C or {beta}2 is not reduced in atrial myocardium of AF patients. Therefore, the reduced ICaL might be due to downregulation of other accessory subunits ({alpha}2{delta}), expression of aberrant subunits, changes in channel trafficking or alterations in channel function

A computational view on nanomaterial intrinsic and extrinsic features for nanosafety and sustainability

In recent years, an increasing number of diverse Engineered Nano-Materials (ENMs), such as nanoparticles and nanotubes, have been included in many technological applications and consumer products. The desirable and unique properties of ENMs are accompanied by potential hazards whose impacts are difficult to predict either qualitatively or in a quantitative and predictive manner. Alongside established methods for experimental and computational characterisation, physics-based modelling tools like molecular dynamics are increasingly considered in Safe and Sustainability-by-design (SSbD) strategies that put user health and environmental impact at the centre of the design and development of new products. Hence, the further development of such tools can support safe and sustainable innovation and its regulation.This paper stems from a community effort and presents the outcome of a four-year-long discussion on the benefits, capabilities and limitations of adopting physics-based modelling for computing suitable features of nanomaterials that can be used for toxicity assessment of nanomaterials in combination with data-based models and experimental assessment of toxicity endpoints. We reviewmodern multiscale physics-based models that generate advanced system-dependent (intrinsic) or time -and environment-dependent (extrinsic) descriptors/features of ENMs (primarily, but not limited to nanoparticles, NPs), with the former being related to the bare NPs and the latter to their dynamic fingerprinting upon entering biological media. The focus is on (i) effectively representing all nanoparticle attributes for multicomponent nanomaterials, (ii) generation and inclusion of intrinsic nanoform properties, (iii) inclusion of selected extrinsic properties, (iv) the necessity of considering distributions of structural advanced features rather than only averages. This review enables us to identify and highlight a number of key challenges associated with ENMs' data generation, curation, representation and use within machine learning or other advanced data-driven models to ultimately enhance toxicity assessment. Finally, the set up of dedicated databases as well as the development of grouping and read-across strategies based on the mode of action of ENMs using omics methods are identified as emerging methodologies for safety assessment and reduction of animal testing.Horizon 2020(H2020)814426Solid state NMR/Biophysical Organic ChemistrySupramolecular & Biomaterials Chemistr

Global maps of soil temperature.

Research in global change ecology relies heavily on global climatic grids derived from estimates of air temperature in open areas at around 2 m above the ground. These climatic grids do not reflect conditions below vegetation canopies and near the ground surface, where critical ecosystem functions occur and most terrestrial species reside. Here, we provide global maps of soil temperature and bioclimatic variables at a 1-km <sup>2</sup> resolution for 0-5 and 5-15 cm soil depth. These maps were created by calculating the difference (i.e. offset) between in situ soil temperature measurements, based on time series from over 1200 1-km <sup>2</sup> pixels (summarized from 8519 unique temperature sensors) across all the world's major terrestrial biomes, and coarse-grained air temperature estimates from ERA5-Land (an atmospheric reanalysis by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts). We show that mean annual soil temperature differs markedly from the corresponding gridded air temperature, by up to 10°C (mean = 3.0 ± 2.1°C), with substantial variation across biomes and seasons. Over the year, soils in cold and/or dry biomes are substantially warmer (+3.6 ± 2.3°C) than gridded air temperature, whereas soils in warm and humid environments are on average slightly cooler (-0.7 ± 2.3°C). The observed substantial and biome-specific offsets emphasize that the projected impacts of climate and climate change on near-surface biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are inaccurately assessed when air rather than soil temperature is used, especially in cold environments. The global soil-related bioclimatic variables provided here are an important step forward for any application in ecology and related disciplines. Nevertheless, we highlight the need to fill remaining geographic gaps by collecting more in situ measurements of microclimate conditions to further enhance the spatiotemporal resolution of global soil temperature products for ecological applications

Disentangling inhibition and prediction in negation processing

Negation as a universal feature of human language is used effortlessly in everyday communication. However, experimental research has shown that the comprehension of negated sentences seems to require additional cognitive resources compared to affirmative sentences. Many studies investigating the processing of negation report longer reading and reaction times for negative compared to affirmative sentences and many studies report a Polarity by Truth interaction: false affirmative sentences lead to longer response times and larger N400 event-related potentials (ERPs) than true affirmative sentences, whereas the pattern is reversed for negative sentences where it is the true sentence that elicits longer reaction times and higher N400 ERPs compared to false negative sentences. These interactions have been discussed in the light of lexical associations, predictability, and the need to construct two subsequent mental representations. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that the comprehension of negated sentences seems to make use of neural resources that are typically involved in cognitive control and inhibitory mechanisms. As both processes have been associated with two different and temporally overlapping ERP components (the N400 and the P300), we focus on studies with high temporal resolution. We discuss linguistic aspects of negation, such as semantic similarity and contextual invariance of negation. We furthermore discuss the role of the verb as well as the position of the negative marker with respect to the verb, and their respective relevance for predictive and inhibitory mechanisms in negated sentences