Palaeohydrogeology using geochemical, isotopic and mineralogical analyses: salinity and redox evolution in a deep groundwater system through Quaternary glacial cycles

Mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic analyses of secondary calcites are interpreted as part of an investigation of deep groundwaters in fractured metavolcanic rock overlain by sedimentary rock. Drillcore rock samples and groundwater samples from deep boreholes (maximum depth 1950 m) were analysed. This produces information about the evolution of salinity and redox in relation to past groundwater movements including the impacts of climatic change through the Quaternary period. Salinities of present-day groundwaters vary from dilute to brine concentrations and are related to three distinct groundwater flow regimes. Crystal morphology, stable isotopic analyses and isotopic dating, cathodoluminescence and microanalyses of Fe, Mn and REEs in the latest generation of secondary calcite, plus other analyses, have provided insights into variations of salinity over time and of redox in past groundwaters. Interpretation suggests that groundwater in the depth range of the transition from dilute to brackish/saline concentrations has been gradually diluted over time by meteoric water ingress. 230Th/234U whole-crystal ages indicate that at least part of the late-stage calcite mineralisation in the present groundwater flow system is of Quaternary age, although the mineralisation may have been initiated much earlier by meteoric invasion in the Miocene, following regional uplift. The calcites exhibit a wide range in oxygen isotope composition (δ18OPDB −2 to −22‰), although no extremely light or heavy δ13C values indicative of microbial methane oxidation or deep methanogenesis were observed. The very light δ18O values suggest that glacial or other cold-climate waters flowed to more than 700 m depth in the centre of the study area and formed a greater proportion of groundwater at that depth than at present. Fe and Ce are interpreted as semi-quantitative proxies for past redox conditions over the period when secondary calcite was deposited. Variability of Fe and Mn contents of secondary calcites in deeper rock, presently containing saline groundwater, is evidence of reducing conditions being maintained in the long term, though the strength of negative redox has probably fluctuated due to other redox-active chemistry. Depth-wise changes of groundwater redox in the past are also indicated by Ce concentrations versus other REEs in secondary calcites. Shallow calcites show a negative Ce anomaly in some growth zones due to oxidation to CeIV whilst deeper calcites do not exhibit this Ce behaviour, indicating that reducing conditions prevailed. Distribution of Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides and pyrite confirm, at a broader scale over depth and time, the findings about redox variations that secondary calcites indicate. Mineralogical and geochemical studies add further information to the understanding of past geochemical conditions in deep groundwaters in this area. Interpretations provide semi-quantitative constraints on the evolution and likely variations and directions of movement of groundwater salinity and redox over the Quaternary timescale

Realizing a Deterministic Source of Multipartite-Entangled Photonic Qubits

Sources of entangled electromagnetic radiation are a cornerstone in quantum information processing and offer unique opportunities for the study of quantum many-body physics in a controlled experimental setting. While multi-mode entangled states of radiation have been generated in various platforms, all previous experiments are either probabilistic or restricted to generate specific types of states with a moderate entanglement length. Here, we demonstrate the fully deterministic generation of purely photonic entangled states such as the cluster, GHZ, and W state by sequentially emitting microwave photons from a controlled auxiliary system into a waveguide. We tomographically reconstruct the entire quantum many-body state for up to $N=4$ photonic modes and infer the quantum state for even larger $N$ from process tomography. We estimate that localizable entanglement persists over a distance of approximately ten photonic qubits, outperforming any previous deterministic scheme

Structural and functional analysis of the tandem β-zipper interaction of a streptococcal protein with human fibronectin

Bacterial fibronectin-binding proteins (FnBPs) contain a large intrinsically disordered region (IDR) that mediates adhesion of bacteria to host tissues, and invasion of host cells, through binding to fibronectin (Fn). These FnBP IDRs consist of Fn-binding repeats (FnBRs) that form a highly extended tandem β-zipper interaction on binding to the N-terminal domain of Fn. Several FnBR residues are highly conserved across bacterial species, and here we investigate their contribution to the interaction. Mutation of these residues to alanine in SfbI-5 (a disordered FnBR from the human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes) reduced binding, but for each residue the change in free energy of binding was <2 kcal/mol. The structure of an SfbI-5 peptide in complex with the second and third F1 modules from Fn confirms that the conserved FnBR residues play equivalent functional roles across bacterial species. Thus, in SfbI-5, the binding energy for the tandem β-zipper interaction with Fn is distributed across the interface rather than concentrated in a small number of "hot spot" residues that are frequently observed in the interactions of folded proteins. We propose that this might be a common feature of the interactions of IDRs and is likely to pose a challenge for the development of small molecule inhibitors of FnBP-mediated adhesion to and invasion of host cells

Cheap as chips: an accessible chip off acquisition method for ball grid array (BGA) integrated circuits in digital investigations

Chip off acquisition has steadily been used in digital investigations as an advanced data acquisition technique. This method has typically been reserved for devices where less invasive methods have been unsuccessful in data recovery. After a review of available literature, limited publications were found to define and discuss a detailed chip off methodology, especially using accessible and low-cost equipment. Therefore, demonstrating a lack of knowledge share and standardisation in this space. This paper creates a methodology for chip off acquisition, that examiners can follow, using an array of equipment. The methodology was developed using accessible resources in a variety of formats and experimental research. Once constructed the method was tested in a collection of scenarios and utilised in research and consultancy. This demonstrated areas where the method was positively implemented and areas where updates could improve the overall success of the methodology. Following the evaluation, a 6-stage process was formulated: deconstruction, identification, removal, restoration, determine and perform

New partnerships for co-delivery of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development

Partnerships have become a corner stone of contemporary research that recognizes working across disciplines and co-production with intended users as essential to enabling sustainable resilience-building. Furthermore, research that addresses sustainable development challenges brings an urgent need to reflect on the ways that partnerships are supported, and for the disaster risk management and resilience communities, efforts to support realization of the wider 2030 Agenda for sustainable development bring particular pressures. In November 2019, the UK Disasters Research Group (DRG) brought together a number of key stakeholders focused on disaster risk, resilience, and sustainability research relevant to Official Development Assistance to consider how fit for purpose existing partnership models are for the pace of change required to deliver the priorities of the wider 2030 Agenda. Participants were invited to discuss how research partnerships across three levels (individual and project-based; national and institutional; and international) could be improved based on elements that facilitate robust partnerships and learning from aspects that hinder them. From the discussions, participants emphasized the importance of effective communication mechanisms in building partnerships, co-designing projects, and establishing shared objectives. Enhanced approaches to addressing equitable partnerships and funding more substantive timelines will be key to responding to the challenges of the 2030 Agenda

Rossby wave dynamics of the North Pacific extra-tropical response to El Niño: importance of the basic state in coupled GCMs

The extra-tropical response to El Nino in a "low" horizontal resolution coupled climate model, typical of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change fourth assessment report simulations, is shown to have serious systematic errors. A high resolution configuration of the same model has a much improved response that is similar to observations. The errors in the low resolution model are traced to an incorrect representation of the atmospheric teleconnection mechanism that controls the extra-tropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) during El Nino. This is due to an unrealistic atmospheric mean state, which changes the propagation characteristics of Rossby waves. These erroneous upper tropospheric circulation anomalies then induce erroneous surface circulation features over the North Pacific. The associated surface wind speed and direction errors create erroneous surface flux and upwelling anomalies which finally lead to the incorrect extra-tropical SST response to El Nino in the low resolution model. This highlights the sensitivity of the climate response to a single link in a chain of complex climatic processes. The correct representation of these processes in the high resolution model indicates the importance of horizontal resolution in resolving such processes

Near infra red spectroscopy as a multivariate process analytical tool for predicting pharmaceutical co-crystal concentration

YesThe use of near infra red spectroscopy to predict the concentration of two pharmaceutical co-crystals; 1:1 ibuprofen – nicotinamide (IBU-NIC) and 1:1 carbamazepine – nicotinamide (CBZ-NIC) has been evaluated. A Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression model was developed for both co-crystal pairs using sets of standard samples to create calibration and validation data sets with which to build and validate the models. Parameters such as the root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC), root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) and correlation coefficient were used to assess the accuracy and linearity of the models. Accurate PLS regression models were created for both co-crystal pairs which can be used to predict the co-crystal concentration in a powder mixture of the co-crystal and the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). The IBU-NIC model had smaller errors than the CBZ-NIC model, possibly due to the complex CBZ-NIC spectra which could reflect the different arrangement of hydrogen bonding associated with the co-crystal compared to the IBU-NIC co-crystal. These results suggest that NIR spectroscopy can be used as a PAT tool during a variety of pharmaceutical co-crystal manufacturing methods and the presented data will facilitate future offline and in-line NIR studies involving pharmaceutical co-crystals

Peripheral blood monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio at study enrollment predicts efficacy of the RTS,S malaria vaccine: analysis of pooled phase II clinical trial data.

BACKGROUND: RTS,S is the most advanced candidate malaria vaccine but it is only partially protective and the causes of inter-individual variation in efficacy are poorly understood. Here, we investigated whether peripheral blood monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratios (ML ratio), previously shown to correlate with clinical malaria risk, could account for differences in RTS,S efficacy among phase II trial participants in Africa. METHODS: Of 11 geographical sites where RTS,S has been evaluated, pre-vaccination ML ratios were only available for trial participants in Kilifi, Kenya (N = 421) and Lambarene, Gabon (N = 189). Using time to first clinical malaria episode as the primary endpoint we evaluated the effect of accounting for ML ratio on RTS,S vaccine efficacy against clinical malaria by Cox regression modeling. RESULTS: The unadjusted efficacy of RTS,S in this combined dataset was 47% (95% confidence interval (CI) 26% to 62%, P <0.001). However, RTS,S efficacy decreased with increasing ML ratio, ranging from 67% (95% CI 64% to 70%) at an ML ratio of 0.1 to 5% (95% CI -3% to 13%) at an ML ratio of 0.6. The statistical interaction between RTS,S vaccination and ML ratio was still evident after adjustment for covariates associated with clinical malaria risk in this dataset. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that stratification of study participants by ML ratio, easily measured from full differential blood counts before vaccination, might help identify children who are highly protected and those that are refractory to protection with the RTS,S vaccine. Identifying causes of low vaccine efficacy among individuals with high ML ratio could inform strategies to improve overall RTS,S vaccine efficacy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.Gov numbers NCT00380393 and NCT00436007

MFA12 (MFA 2012)

Catalogue of a culminating student exhibition held at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum May 4-Aug. 6, 2012. Contents include Introduction / Buzz Spector -- Think, make, show and tell / Patricia Olynyk -- Ifeoma Ugonnwa Anyaeji -- J.E. Baker / Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt -- Natalie Baldeon / Emily Hanson -- As in a turning gear : E. Thurston Belmer / Rickey Laurentiis -- Lauren Cardenas / Nicholas Tamarkin -- Megan Sue Collins / Catherine Chiodo -- Adrian Cox -- Maya Durham / Dolly Laninga -- Erin Falker / Melissa Olson -- St. Louis dreamscape : Jieun Kim / Caitlin Tyler -- Howard Krohn -- Scape : Robert Long / Robert Whitehead -- Marie Bannerot McInerney / Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt -- Ghost : Nikki McMahan / Rickey Laurentiis -- Michael T. Meier -- Katie Millitzer -- Reid G. Norris / Ross Rader -- Kathleen Perniciaro / Melissa Olson -- Emily Squires / Nicholas Tamarkin -- Jamie Presson Wells -- Whitney Lorene Wood / Reid G. Norris -- Andrew Woodard -- Kelly K. Wright -- Contributors -- About the Sam Fox School.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/books/1003/thumbnail.jp