New monazite U-Pb age constraints on the evolution of the Paleoproterozoic Vaasa granitoid batholith, western Finland

The Vaasa batholith, western Finland, is a large, peraluminous granitoid pluton that crystallized at 1.88-1.87 Ga during the culmination of the Svecofennian orogeny. The batholith has gradual contacts, through metatexites and diatexites, with the enveloping metasedimentary rocks of the Bothnian Belt. We present ID-TIMS U-Pb age data on monazite from granitoids and xenoliths of the Vaasa batholith and combine these with published U-Pb zircon ages in order to shed further light on the evolution of the Vaasa batholith. The apparent monazite ages for seven of the examined samples are 1870-1863 Ma, and 1855+/-3 Ma for one further sample from the southern part of the batholith. Combined with pre-existing data, the monazite ages of the granitoids are 9 to 18 Ma (face values) or 3 to 9 Ma (external errors considered) younger than the U-Pb zircon crystallization ages from respective samples. Our new data suggest slow cooling for the Vaasa batholith - the closure/saturation temperature of the monazite U-Pb system was probably reached in similar to 10 m.y. after the crystallization of magmatic zircon in the examined rocks.The Vaasa batholith, western Finland, is a large, peraluminous granitoid pluton that crystallized at 1.88-1.87 Ga during the culmination of the Svecofennian orogeny. The batholith has gradual contacts, through metatexites and diatexites, with the enveloping metasedimentary rocks of the Bothnian Belt. We present ID-TIMS U-Pb age data on monazite from granitoids and xenoliths of the Vaasa batholith and combine these with published U-Pb zircon ages in order to shed further light on the evolution of the Vaasa batholith. The apparent monazite ages for seven of the examined samples are 1870-1863 Ma, and 1855+/-3 Ma for one further sample from the southern part of the batholith. Combined with pre-existing data, the monazite ages of the granitoids are 9 to 18 Ma (face values) or 3 to 9 Ma (external errors considered) younger than the U-Pb zircon crystallization ages from respective samples. Our new data suggest slow cooling for the Vaasa batholith - the closure/saturation temperature of the monazite U-Pb system was probably reached in similar to 10 m.y. after the crystallization of magmatic zircon in the examined rocks.The Vaasa batholith, western Finland, is a large, peraluminous granitoid pluton that crystallized at 1.88-1.87 Ga during the culmination of the Svecofennian orogeny. The batholith has gradual contacts, through metatexites and diatexites, with the enveloping metasedimentary rocks of the Bothnian Belt. We present ID-TIMS U-Pb age data on monazite from granitoids and xenoliths of the Vaasa batholith and combine these with published U-Pb zircon ages in order to shed further light on the evolution of the Vaasa batholith. The apparent monazite ages for seven of the examined samples are 1870-1863 Ma, and 1855+/-3 Ma for one further sample from the southern part of the batholith. Combined with pre-existing data, the monazite ages of the granitoids are 9 to 18 Ma (face values) or 3 to 9 Ma (external errors considered) younger than the U-Pb zircon crystallization ages from respective samples. Our new data suggest slow cooling for the Vaasa batholith - the closure/saturation temperature of the monazite U-Pb system was probably reached in similar to 10 m.y. after the crystallization of magmatic zircon in the examined rocks.Peer reviewe

Fluoroquinolone Resistance in Campylobacter jejuni Isolates in Travelers Returning to Finland: Association of Ciprofloxacin Resistance to Travel Destination

Ciprofloxacin resistance was analyzed in 354 Campylobacter jejuni isolates collected during two study periods (1995–1997 and 1998–2000) from travelers returning to Finland. The increase in resistance between the two periods was significant among all isolates (40% vs. 60%; p<0.01), as well as among those from Asia alone (45% vs. 72%; p<0.01)

Reduced Fluoroquinolone Susceptibility in Salmonella enterica Isolates from Travelers, Finland

We tested the fluoroquinolone susceptibility of 499 Salmonella enterica isolates collected from travelers returning to Finland during 2003–2007. Among isolates from travelers to Thailand and Malaysia, reduced fluoroquinolone susceptibility decreased from 65% to 22% (p = 0.002). All isolates showing nonclassical quinolone resistance were from travelers to these 2 countries

Complement C4 Deficiency - A Plausible Risk Factor for Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) Infection in Apparently Immunocompetent Patients

Peer reviewe

Antimicrobial Resistance of Invasive Pneumococci in Finland in 1999-2000

The resistance patterns and macrolide resistance mechanisms of 910 Finnish invasive pneumococci isolated during 1999 and 2000 were studied. Macrolide resistance was detected in 6.9% of isolates. Penicillin resistance was detected in 1.5% of isolates, and penicillin intermediate resistance was detected in 4.0% of isolates. Active macrolide efflux, mediated by the mef(A) gene, was the most common macrolide resistance mechanism. Four macrolide-resistant isolates had mutations in rRNA or ribosomal protein L22

An extended ice failure model to improve the fidelity of icebreaking pattern in numerical simulation of ship performance in level ice

The modelling of the ice failure including icebreaking pattern and ice bearing capacity is an important issue in numerical simulations of ships going through level ice, in order to predict ship performance and ice loads. Previous studies model the shape of ice cusps assuming a simplified geometry, e.g. circular or triangular. According to the observations during full-scale ship trials, the geometry of the ice cusps is more elliptical rather than circular, with larger breaking length at the edges than that at the center. In this paper, a new ice failure model is developed which results in more realistic cusp shapes compared to existing approaches. The model is based on an analytically-derived differential equation, which is solved numerically via the Finite Difference Method (FDM). The predictions of ice cusps geometry are validated against full-scale measurement of ice cusps, obtained with an on-board stereo camera system. Satisfying agreement is shown. The ice failure model is incorporated into a numerical model for the prediction of ship performance in level ice. The predictions are compared with ship speed record obtained from a full-scale trial. It is shown that the model gives reasonable results for ship speed.Peer reviewe

Predicting ice-induced load amplitudes on ship bow conditional on ice thickness and ship speed in the Baltic Sea

Transportation in ice prone waters is a timely topic due to the pursuit for arctic natural resources and sea routes. One important safety aspect in designing ships that enter ice prone waters is to determine the ice-induced loads on ships. However, ice is a particularly inconsistent material; therefore it is difficult to predict the occurring loads when the ship hull breaks the ice. We propose a novel probabilistic, Bayesian, method for modeling and predicting ice load distributions in different ice and operational conditions. We assume the ice loads to be generated from a random process whose parameters change as a function of ice thickness and ship speed. We test four alternative hierarchical Gaussian Process models. The best model shows good performance in predictive validation tests. According to the results the probability of high ice loads increases with increasing ice thickness and increasing speed. The model can be used to predict continuously ice loads in different ice thickness and speed conditions and, with further development, has potential to be utilized in determining the safe way to operate ships in different conditions.Peer reviewe