M & L Jaargang 30/1

Frederik Mahieu - De restauratie van het schrijnwerk in het Kortrijkse Sint-Elisabeth Begijnhof. [The restoration of the window frames of the Saint Elisabeth beguinage in Kortrijk.]Een aantal Vlaamse begijnhoven zijn tot Unesco Werelderfgoed uitgeroepen. Reden temeer, zo vond Frederik Mahieu, om bij hun restauratie zeer zorgvuldig om te springen met beeldbepalende elementen zoals de vensters. De diversiteit van de bewaarde raamtypes in het Kortijkse begijnhof noodzaakte tot het nuanceren van de restauratieopties voor het schrijnwerk.Jo Vanmassenhove - Proefproject van de restauratie van zolderramen in het Groot Kasteel van Caloen in Loppem. [Trial project for the restoration of attic windows in the Grand Caloen castle in Loppem.]Omdat de zolderramen van het Groot Kasteel van Loppem een heel diverse bewaringstoestand vertoonden, was een gediversifieerde aanpak de enige oplossing. Jo van Massenhove verhaalt hoe de restauratieopties tot stand kwamen en wat daarvan de economische en de materiële consequenties waren.Nathalie Vernimme - Klimaatverandering en Vlaams bouwkundig erfgoed: beter voorkomen dan genezen. [Climate change and Flemish immovable heritage: prevention is better than cure.]De impact van klimaatverandering is op alle niveau\u27s van de samenleving een hot item. Wat het effect hiervan is op de Vlaamse monumenten, wordt duidelijk uiteengezet door Nathalie Vernimme. Het aloude spreekwoord Beter voorkomen dan genezen is hier eens te meer volledig van toepassing.Summar

Quantification of myo-inositol hexakisphosphate in alkaline soil extracts by solution 31P NMR spectroscopy and spectral deconvolution

Inositol phosphates are the dominant class of organic phosphorus (P) compounds in most soils, but they are poorly understood because they are not easily identified in soil extracts. This study reports a relatively simple technique using solution 31P NMR spectroscopy and spectral deconvolution for the quantification of myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (phytic acid), the most abundant soil inositol phosphate, in alkaline soil extracts. An authentic myo-inositol hexakisphosphate standard added to a re-dissolved soil extract gave signals at 5.85, 4.92, 4.55, and 4.43 ppm in the ratio 1:2:2:1. Spectral deconvolution quantified these signals accurately (102 ± 4%) in solutions containing a mixture of model P compounds by resolving the envelope of signals in the orthophosphate monoester region. In NaOH-EDTA extracts from a range of lowland permanent pasture soils in England and Wales, concentrations of myo-inositol hexakisphosphate determined by spectral deconvolution ranged between 26 and 189 mg P kg- 1 soil, equivalent to between 11 and 35% of the extracted organic P. Concentrations were positively correlated with oxalate-extractable aluminum and iron but were not correlated with total carbon, total nitrogen, clay, or the microbial biomass. This suggests that myo-inositol hexakisphosphate accumulates in soils by mechanisms at least partially independent of those controlling organic matter stabilization and dynamics. Furthermore, myo-inositol hexakisphosphate concentrations were positively correlated with plant-available inorganic P and negatively correlated with the carbon-to-organic P ratio, suggesting that biological P availability may, in part, regulate myo-inositol hexakisphosphate concentrations in soils, perhaps because organisms capable of degrading this compound are favored in more P-limited environments. Solution 31P NMR spectroscopy and spectral deconvolution offers a relatively simple method of quantifying myo-inositol hexakisphosphate in soil extracts

The phosphorus composition of temperate pasture soils determined by NaOH-EDTA extraction and solution 31P NMR spectroscopy

Information on the composition and dynamics of soil phosphorus (P) remains limited, but is integral to understanding soil biogeochemical cycles. We used solution 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to characterise NaOH—EDTA extractable P in 29 permanent pasture soils from England and Wales (total carbon 29-80 g kg- 1 soil, clay 219-681 g kg- 1 soil, pH 4.4-6.8). Total P ranged between 376 and 1981 mg P kg- 1 soil, of which between 45 and 88% was extracted with NaOH—EDTA. The extracts were dominated by orthophosphate monoesters (29-60% extracted P) and inorganic orthophosphate (21-55% extracted P), with smaller concentrations of orthophosphate diesters (2-10% extracted P), pyrophosphate (1-7% extracted P), phosphonates (0 - 3% extracted P), and traces of polyphosphates. Orthophosphate diesters were subclassified into phospholipids (1- 7% extracted P) and DNA (1-6% extracted P). Signals slightly downfield of inorganic orthophosphate were tentatively assigned to aromatic orthophosphate diesters similar in structure to R-(—)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diyl hydrogen phosphate. Such signals are rarely detected in soil extracts, but were present in relatively large concentrations in the samples analysed here (2-5% extracted P). Relationships between functional P groups and soil properties suggested that the various functional groups are involved in the soil P cycle to different extents. In particular, concentrations of orthophosphate monoesters appeared to be controlled by the potential for chemical stabilisation in soil, whereas DNA and pyrophosphate were strongly correlated with the microbial biomass, suggesting an active involvement in biological nutrient turnove

Validation and data characteristics of methane and nitrous oxide profiles observed by MIPAS and processed with Version 4.61 algorithm

The ENVISAT validation programme for the atmospheric instruments MIPAS, SCIAMACHY and GOMOS is based on a number of balloon-borne, aircraft, satellite and ground-based correlative measurements. In particular the activities of validation scientists were coordinated by ESA within the ENVISAT Stratospheric Aircraft and Balloon Campaign or ESABC. As part of a series of similar papers on other species [this issue] and in parallel to the contribution of the individual validation teams, the present paper provides a synthesis of comparisons performed between MIPAS CH4 and N2O profiles produced by the current ESA operational software (Instrument Processing Facility version 4.61 or IPF v4.61, full resolution MIPAS data covering the period 9 July 2002 to 26 March 2004) and correlative measurements obtained from balloon and aircraft experiments as well as from satellite sensors or from ground-based instruments. In the middle stratosphere, no significant bias is observed between MIPAS and correlative measurements, and MIPAS is providing a very consistent and global picture of the distribution of CH4 and N2O in this region. In average, the MIPAS CH4 values show a small positive bias in the lower stratosphere of about 5%. A similar situation is observed for N2O with a positive bias of 4%. In the lower stratosphere/upper troposphere (UT/LS) the individual used MIPAS data version 4.61 still exhibits some unphysical oscillations in individual CH4 and N2O profiles caused by the processing algorithm (with almost no regularization). Taking these problems into account, the MIPAS CH4 and N2O profiles are behaving as expected from the internal error estimation of IPF v4.61 and the estimated errors of the correlative measurements

Validation of MIPAS HNO3 operational data

Nitric acid (HNO3) is one of the key products that are operationally retrieved by the European Space Agency (ESA) from the emission spectra measured by the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) onboard ENVISAT. The product version 4.61/4.62 for the observation period between July 2002 and March 2004 is validated by comparisons with a number of independent observations from ground-based stations, aircraft/balloon campaigns, and satellites. Individual HNO3 profiles of the ESA MIPAS level-2 product show good agreement with those of MIPAS-B and MIPAS-STR (the balloon and aircraft version of MIPAS, respectively), and the balloon-borne infrared spectrometers MkIV and SPIRALE, mostly matching the reference data within the combined instrument error bars. In most cases differences between the correlative measurement pairs are less than 1 ppbv (5-10%) throughout the entire altitude range up to about 38 km (similar to 6 hPa), and below 0.5 ppbv (15-20% or more) above 30 km (similar to 17 hPa). However, differences up to 4 ppbv compared to MkIV have been found at high latitudes in December 2002 in the presence of polar stratospheric clouds. The degree of consistency is further largely affected by the temporal and spatial coincidence, and differences of 2 ppbv may be observed between 22 and 26 km (similar to 50 and 30 hPa) at high latitudes near the vortex boundary, due to large horizontal inhomogeneity of HNO3. Similar features are also observed in the mean differences of the MIPAS ESA HNO3 VMRs with respect to the ground-based FTIR measurements at five stations, aircraft-based SAFIRE-A and ASUR, and the balloon campaign IBEX. The mean relative differences between the MIPAS and FTIR HNO3 partial columns are within +/- 2%, comparable to the MIPAS systematic error of similar to 2%. For the vertical profiles, the biases between the MIPAS and FTIR data are generally below 10% in the altitudes of 10 to 30 km. The MIPAS and SAFIRE HNO3 data generally match within their total error bars for the mid and high latitude flights, despite the larger atmospheric inhomogeneities that characterize the measurement scenario at higher latitudes. The MIPAS and ASUR comparison reveals generally good agreements better than 10-13% at 20-34 km. The MIPAS and IBEX measurements agree reasonably well (mean relative differences within +/- 15%) between 17 and 32 km. Statistical comparisons of the MIPAS profiles correlated with those of Odin/SMR, ILAS-II, and ACE-FTS generally show good consistency. The mean differences averaged over individual latitude bands or all bands are within the combined instrument errors, and generally within 1, 0.5, and 0.3 ppbv between 10 and 40 km (similar to 260 and 4.5 hPa) for Odin/SMR, ILAS-II, and ACE-FTS, respectively. The standard deviations of the differences are between 1 to 2 ppbv. The standard deviations for the satellite comparisons and for almost all other comparisons are generally larger than the estimated measurement uncertainty. This is associated with the temporal and spatial coincidence error and the horizontal smoothing error which are not taken into account in our error budget. Both errors become large when the spatial variability of the target molecule is high.Peer reviewe

Validation of HNO3, ClONO2, and N2O5 from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS)

The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) satellite was launched on 12 August 2003. Its two instruments measure vertical profiles of over 30 atmospheric trace gases by analyzing solar occultation spectra in the ultraviolet/visible and infrared wavelength regions. The reservoir gases HNO3, ClONO2, and N2O5 are three of the key species provided by the primary instrument, the ACE Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS). This paper describes the ACE-FTS version 2.2 data products, including the N2O5 update, for the three species and presents validation comparisons with available observations. We have compared volume mixing ratio (VMR) profiles of HNO3, ClONO2, and N2O5 with measurements by other satellite instruments (SMR, MLS, MIPAS), aircraft measurements (ASUR), and single balloon-flights (SPIRALE, FIRS-2). Partial columns of HNO3 and ClONO2 were also compared with measurements by ground-based Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometers. Overall the quality of the ACE-FTS v2.2 HNO3 VMR profiles is good from 18 to 35 km. For the statistical satellite comparisons, the mean absolute differences are generally within ±1 ppbv ±20%) from 18 to 35 km. For MIPAS and MLS comparisons only, mean relative differences lie within±10% between 10 and 36 km. ACE-FTS HNO3 partial columns (~15–30 km) show a slight negative bias of −1.3% relative to the ground-based FTIRs at latitudes ranging from 77.8° S–76.5° N. Good agreement between ACE-FTS ClONO2 and MIPAS, using the Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung and Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IMK-IAA) data processor is seen. Mean absolute differences are typically within ±0.01 ppbv between 16 and 27 km and less than +0.09 ppbv between 27 and 34 km. The ClONO2 partial column comparisons show varying degrees of agreement, depending on the location and the quality of the FTIR measurements. Good agreement was found for the comparisons with the midlatitude Jungfraujoch partial columns for which the mean relative difference is 4.7%. ACE-FTS N2O5 has a low bias relative to MIPAS IMK-IAA, reaching −0.25 ppbv at the altitude of the N2O5 maximum (around 30 km). Mean absolute differences at lower altitudes (16–27 km) are typically −0.05 ppbv for MIPAS nighttime and ±0.02 ppbv for MIPAS daytime measurements

Viral to metazoan marine plankton nucleotide sequences from the Tara Oceans expedition

A unique collection of oceanic samples was gathered by the Tara Oceans expeditions (2009-2013), targeting plankton organisms ranging from viruses to metazoans, and providing rich environmental context measurements. Thanks to recent advances in the field of genomics, extensive sequencing has been performed for a deep genomic analysis of this huge collection of samples. A strategy based on different approaches, such as metabarcoding, metagenomics, single-cell genomics and metatranscriptomics, has been chosen for analysis of size-fractionated plankton communities. Here, we provide detailed procedures applied for genomic data generation, from nucleic acids extraction to sequence production, and we describe registries of genomics datasets available at the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA, www.ebi.ac.uk/ena). The association of these metadata to the experimental procedures applied for their generation will help the scientific community to access these data and facilitate their analysis. This paper complements other efforts to provide a full description of experiments and open science resources generated from the Tara Oceans project, further extending their value for the study of the world's planktonic ecosystems

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Caractérisation dynamique et structurale de solutions micellaires de tensioactifs par relaxation de spin et diffusion translationnelle

Not availableaNotre but a été de caractériser les phases micellaires que forment certains tensioactifs, des carboxylates de sodium, en solution aqueuse. Pour ce faire nous avons employé au mieux les ressources de la résonance magnétique nucléaire en phase liquide. Nous avons ainsi mis en œuvre des méthodes de spectroscopie conduisant à la détermination de paramètres de relaxation et de coefficients de diffusion translationnelle et conçu deux logiciels de traitement pour ordinateurs macintosh. En nous basant sur des mesures de relaxation longitudinale du proton, nous avons déterminé que la série homologue de tensioactifs étudiée forme effectivement des micelles que nous avons caractérisées ensuite à l'aide de la relaxation du carbone-13. Nous avons interprété ces dernières quantités en fonction de la fréquence en termes de paramètres dynamiques: temps de corrélation et paramètres d'ordre. Nous avons montré que les micelles d'oléate de sodium évoluent quand la concentration augmente, en associant des mesures de relaxation du proton et de diffusion translationnelle. À l'aide d'expériences de mesure d'effet overhauser hétéronucléaire, nous avons visualisé l'approche de l'eau des têtes polaires et évalué la distance moyenne eau-surface des micelles à 3-4 angström