Palaeohydrology of the Mulhouse Basin: are fluid inclusions in halite tracers of past seawater composition?

Brine reactions processes were the most important factors controlling the major-ion evolution in the Oligocene, Mulhouse Basin (France) evaporite basin. The combined analysis of fluid inclusions in primary textures in halite by Cryo-SEM-EDS with sulfate-δ34S, δ18O and 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios reveals hydrothermal inputs and recycling of Permian evaporites, particularly during advanced stages of evaporation in the Salt IV member which ended with sylvite formation. The lower part of the Salt IV evolved from an originally marine input. Sulfate-δ34S shows Oligocene marine-like signatures at the base of the member (Fig.1). However, enriched sulfate-δ18O reveals the importance of re-oxidation processes. As evaporation progressed other non-marine or marine-modified inputs from neighbouring basins became more important. This is demonstrated by an increase in K concentrations in brine inclusions, Br in halite and variations in sulfate isotopes trends and 87Sr/86Sr ratios. The recycling of previously precipitated evaporites was increasingly important with evaporation. Therefore, regardless of the apparent marine sequence (gypsum, halite, potassic salts), the existence of diverse inputs and the consequent chemical changes to the brine preclude the use of trapped brine inclusions in direct reconstruction of Oligocene seawater chemistry.European Association for Geochemistry; Geochemical Societ

Exploring the hydrochemical evolution of brines leading to sylvite precipitation in ancient evaporite basins.

Sylvite is a very common mineral in ancient evaporite deposits. Due to the absence of current deposits, the natural geochemical mechanism/s for synsedimentary sylvite precipitation and accumulation are not well understood. Numerous sylvite deposits or portions of them have been described as a result of diagenesis (i.e. Sergipe subbasin, Brasil). However, a number of deposits have been described as synsdimentary or being formed during primary evaporite deposition. It is the last group of deposits that can be studied to better understand the hydrochemical processes taking place in the brine at the onset of sylvite precipitation. The Salt IV sylvite beds from the Mulhouse potash basin, Alsace (France) have been described as synsedimentary in origin (LOWENSTEIN and SPENCER, 1990; CENDON et al., 2008). While sylvite in itself does not contain fluid inclusions viable for micro analysis, primary textures in neighboring halite are used as a proxy to understand brine evolution. Two halite-sylvite cycles from the B1 and B2 layers of the potash lower seam were selected. These exhibited clear primary halite crystal textures with sylvite adapting to an irregular halite sedimentary surface and finishing with a flat surface. The nine halite samples, selected at centimeter scale, provided close to 100 single fluid inclusion analyses, representing both the transition towards sylvite precipitation and the post sylvite precipitation. The fluid inclusion analyses revealed strong fluctuations in K concentration, well over the analytical error (<10%). These variations, in the same halite crystal, seem aligned in growth bands, with fluid inclusions within a certain growth band showing practically identical K concentrations, while neighboring bands exhibit a different concentration. Overall, the closer we are from a sylvite layer the higher K concentrations are. However, strong fluctuations continue when growth bands are compared. This pattern shows cycles of increasing K concentration along parallel growth bands with sharp falls followed by the initiation of a new increasing trend. The small “growth band” scale of the K concentration variations, suggests very sensitive processes within the brine with potential environmental changes (i.e. seasonal variations, day-night temperature fluctuations cycles) leading towards the final mass precipitation of a sylvite layer

Gemini planet imager observational calibrations V: Astrometry and distortion

This is the final version of the article. Available from SPIE via the DOI in this record.From Conference Volume 9147: Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy V, Suzanne K. Ramsay; Ian S. McLean; Hideki Takami, Montréal, Quebec, Canada, June 22, 2014We present the results of both laboratory and on sky astrometric characterization of the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI). This characterization includes measurement of the pixel scale∗ of the integral field spectrograph (IFS), the position of the detector with respect to north, and optical distortion. Two of these three quantities (pixel scale and distortion) were measured in the laboratory using two transparent grids of spots, one with a square pattern and the other with a random pattern. The pixel scale in the laboratory was also estimate using small movements of the artificial star unit (ASU) in the GPI adaptive optics system. On sky, the pixel scale and the north angle are determined using a number of known binary or multiple systems and Solar System objects, a subsample of which had concurrent measurements at Keck Observatory. Our current estimate of the GPI pixel scale is 14.14 ± 0.01 millarcseconds/pixel, and the north angle is -1.00 ± 0.03°. Distortion is shown to be small, with an average positional residual of 0.26 pixels over the field of view, and is corrected using a 5th order polynomial. We also present results from Monte Carlo simulations of the GPI Exoplanet Survey (GPIES) assuming GPI achieves ∼1 milliarcsecond relative astrometric precision. We find that with this precision, we will be able to constrain the eccentricities of all detected planets, and possibly determine the underlying eccentricity distribution of widely separated Jovians.The Gemini Observatory is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brazil), and Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva (Argentina). This publication makes use of data obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W.M. Keck Foundation. P.K. and J.R.G. thank support from NASA NNX11AD21G, NSF AST-0909188, and the University of California LFRP-118057. Q.M.K is a Dunlap Fellow at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto. The Dunlap Institute is funded through an endowment established by the David Dunlap family and the University of Toronto

Effectiveness of a primary care-based intervention to reduce sitting time in overweight and obese patients (SEDESTACTIV): a randomized controlled trial; rationale and study design

Background: There is growing evidence suggesting that prolonged sitting has negative effects on people's weight, chronic diseases and mortality. Interventions to reduce sedentary time can be an effective strategy to increase daily energy expenditure. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a six-month primary care intervention to reduce daily of sitting time in overweight and mild obese sedentary patients. Method/Design: The study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Professionals from thirteen primary health care centers (PHC) will randomly invite to participate mild obese or overweight patients of both gender, aged between 25 and 65 years old, who spend 6 hours at least daily sitting. A total of 232 subjects will be randomly allocated to an intervention (IG) and control group (CG) (116 individuals each group). In addition, 50 subjects with fibromyalgia will be included. Primary outcome is: (1) sitting time using the activPAL device and the Marshall questionnaire. The following parameters will be also assessed: (2) sitting time in work place (Occupational Sitting and Physical Activity Questionnaire), (3) health-related quality of life (EQ-5D), (4) evolution of stage of change (Prochaska and DiClemente's Stages of Change Model), (5) physical inactivity (catalan version of Brief Physical Activity Assessment Tool), (6) number of steps walked (pedometer and activPAL), (7) control based on analysis (triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, glycemia and, glycated haemoglobin in diabetic patients) and (8) blood pressure and anthropometric variables. All parameters will be assessed pre and post intervention and there will be a follow up three, six and twelve months after the intervention. A descriptive analysis of all variables and a multivariate analysis to assess differences among groups will be undertaken. Multivariate analysis will be carried out to assess time changes of dependent variables. All the analysis will be done under the intention to treat principle. Discussion: If the SEDESTACTIV intervention shows its effectiveness in reducing sitting time, health professionals would have a low-cost intervention tool for sedentary overweight and obese patients management

Expression of Distal-less, dachshund, and optomotor blind in Neanthes arenaceodentata (Annelida, Nereididae) does not support homology of appendage-forming mechanisms across the Bilateria

The similarity in the genetic regulation of arthropod and vertebrate appendage formation has been interpreted as the product of a plesiomorphic gene network that was primitively involved in bilaterian appendage development and co-opted to build appendages (in modern phyla) that are not historically related as structures. Data from lophotrochozoans are needed to clarify the pervasiveness of plesiomorphic appendage forming mechanisms. We assayed the expression of three arthropod and vertebrate limb gene orthologs, Distal-less (Dll), dachshund (dac), and optomotor blind (omb), in direct-developing juveniles of the polychaete Neanthes arenaceodentata. Parapodial Dll expression marks premorphogenetic notopodia and neuropodia, becoming restricted to the bases of notopodial cirri and to ventral portions of neuropodia. In outgrowing cephalic appendages, Dll activity is primarily restricted to proximal domains. Dll expression is also prominent in the brain. dac expression occurs in the brain, nerve cord ganglia, a pair of pharyngeal ganglia, presumed interneurons linking a pair of segmental nerves, and in newly differentiating mesoderm. Domains of omb expression include the brain, nerve cord ganglia, one pair of anterior cirri, presumed precursors of dorsal musculature, and the same pharyngeal ganglia and presumed interneurons that express dac. Contrary to their roles in outgrowing arthropod and vertebrate appendages, Dll, dac, and omb lack comparable expression in Neanthes appendages, implying independent evolution of annelid appendage development. We infer that parapodia and arthropodia are not structurally or mechanistically homologous (but their primordia might be), that Dll’s ancestral bilaterian function was in sensory and central nervous system differentiation, and that locomotory appendages possibly evolved from sensory outgrowths

Polymorphism Data Can Reveal the Origin of Species Abundance Statistics

What is the underlying mechanism behind the fat-tailed statistics observed for species abundance distributions? The two main hypotheses in the field are the adaptive (niche) theories, where species abundance reflects its fitness, and the neutral theory that assumes demographic stochasticity as the main factor determining community structure. Both explanations suggest quite similar species-abundance distributions, but very different histories: niche scenarios assume that a species population in the past was similar to the observed one, while neutral scenarios are characterized by strongly fluctuating populations. Since the genetic variations within a population depend on its abundance in the past, we present here a way to discriminate between the theories using the genetic diversity of noncoding DNA. A statistical test, based on the Fu-Li method, has been developed and enables such a differentiation. We have analyzed the results gathered from individual-based simulation of both types of histories and obtained clear distinction between the Fu-Li statistics of the neutral scenario and that of the niche scenario. Our results suggest that data for 10–50 species, with approximately 30 sequenced individuals for each species, may allow one to distinguish between these two theories

The peculiar debris disk of HD 111520 as resolved by the Gemini Planet Imager

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from American Astronomical Society / IOP Publishing via the DOI in this record.Using the Gemini Planet Imager, we have resolved the circumstellar debris disk around HD 111520 at a projected range of ∼30-100 AU in both total and polarized H-band intensity. The disk is seen edge-on at a position angle of 165° along the spine of emission. A slight inclination and asymmetric warp are covariant and alter the interpretation of the observed disk emission. We employ three point-spread function subtraction methods to reduce the stellar glare and instrumental artifacts to confirm that there is a roughly 2:1 brightness asymmetry between the NW and SE extension. This specific feature makes HD 111520 the most extreme example of asymmetric debris disks observed in scattered light among similar highly inclined systems, such as HD 15115 and HD 106906. We further identify a tentative localized brightness enhancement and scale height enhancement associated with the disk at ∼40 AU away from the star on the SE extension. We also find that the fractional polarization rises from 10% to 40% from 0.″5 to 0.″8 from the star. The combination of large brightness asymmetry and symmetric polarization fraction leads us to believe that an azimuthal dust density variation is causing the observed asymmetry.Z.H.D. and B.C.M. acknowledge a Discovery Grant and Accelerator Supplement from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Supported by NSF grants AST-0909188, AST-1313718 (J.R.G., J.J.W., P.G.K.), AST-141378 (G.D., M.F.), and AST-1411868 (K.F., J.L.P., A.R., K.W.D.). Supported by NASA grants NNX15AD95G/NEXSS, NNX14AJ80G, and NNX11AD21G (J.R.G., J.J.W., P.G.K.)

The peculiar debris disk of HD 111520 as resolved by the Gemini Planet Imager

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from American Astronomical Society / IOP Publishing via the DOI in this record.Using the Gemini Planet Imager, we have resolved the circumstellar debris disk around HD 111520 at a projected range of ∼30-100 AU in both total and polarized H-band intensity. The disk is seen edge-on at a position angle of 165° along the spine of emission. A slight inclination and asymmetric warp are covariant and alter the interpretation of the observed disk emission. We employ three point-spread function subtraction methods to reduce the stellar glare and instrumental artifacts to confirm that there is a roughly 2:1 brightness asymmetry between the NW and SE extension. This specific feature makes HD 111520 the most extreme example of asymmetric debris disks observed in scattered light among similar highly inclined systems, such as HD 15115 and HD 106906. We further identify a tentative localized brightness enhancement and scale height enhancement associated with the disk at ∼40 AU away from the star on the SE extension. We also find that the fractional polarization rises from 10% to 40% from 0.″5 to 0.″8 from the star. The combination of large brightness asymmetry and symmetric polarization fraction leads us to believe that an azimuthal dust density variation is causing the observed asymmetry.Z.H.D. and B.C.M. acknowledge a Discovery Grant and Accelerator Supplement from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Supported by NSF grants AST-0909188, AST-1313718 (J.R.G., J.J.W., P.G.K.), AST-141378 (G.D., M.F.), and AST-1411868 (K.F., J.L.P., A.R., K.W.D.). Supported by NASA grants NNX15AD95G/NEXSS, NNX14AJ80G, and NNX11AD21G (J.R.G., J.J.W., P.G.K.)

Environmental-dependent proline accumulation in plants living on gypsum soils

[EN] Biosynthesis of proline¿or other compatible solutes¿is a conserved response of all organisms to different abiotic stress conditions leading to cellular dehydration. However, the biological relevance of this reaction for plant stress tolerance mechanisms remains largely unknown, since there are very few available data on proline levels in stress-tolerant plants under natural conditions. The aim of this work was to establish the relationship between proline levels and different environmental stress factors in plants living on gypsum soils. During the 2-year study (2009¿2010), soil parameters and climatic data were monitored, and proline contents were determined, in six successive samplings, in ten taxa present in selected experimental plots, three in a gypsum area and one in a semiarid zone, both located in the province of Valencia, in south-east Spain. Mean proline values varied significantly between species; however, seasonal variations within species were in many cases even wider, with the most extreme differences registered in Helianthemum syriacum (almost 30 lmol g-1 of DW in summer 2009, as compared to ca. 0.5 in spring, in one of the plots of the gypsum zone). Higher proline contents in plants were generally observed under lower soil humidity conditions, especially in the 2009 summer sampling preceded by a severe drought period. Our results clearly show a positive correlation between the degree of environmental stress and the proline level in most of the taxa included in this study, supporting a functional role of proline in stress tolerance mechanisms of plants adapted to gypsum. However, the main trigger of proline biosynthesis in this type of habitat, as in arid or semiarid zones, is water deficit, while the component of ¿salt stress¿ due to the presence of gypsum in the soil only plays a secondary role.This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Project CGL2008-00438/BOS), with contribution from the European Regional Development Fund.Boscaiu, M.; Bautista Carrascosa, I.; Lidón Cerezuela, AL.; Llinares Palacios, JV.; Lull, C.; Donat-Torres, M.; Mayoral García-Berlanga, O.... (2013). Environmental-dependent proline accumulation in plants living on gypsum soils. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum. 35:2193-2204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-013-1256-3S2193220435Alvarado JJ, Ruiz JM, López-Cantarero I, Molero J, Romero L (2000) Nitrogen metabolism in five plant species characteristic of gypsiferous soils. 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J Arid Environ 36:487–497Escudero A, Somolinos RC, Olano JM, Rubio A (1999) Factors controlling the establishment of Helianthemum squamatum, an endemic gypsophite of semi-arid Spain. J Ecol 87:290–302FAO (1990) Management of gypsiferous soils. FAO Soils Bull 62Ferriol M, Pérez I, Merle H, Boira H (2006) Ecological germination requirements of the aggregate species Teucrium pumilum (Labiatae) endemic to Spain. Plant Soil 284:205–216Flowers TJ, Colmer TD (2008) Salinity tolerance in halophytes. New Phytol 179:945–963Flowers TJ, Troke PF, Yeo AR (1977) The mechanism of salt tolerance in halophytes. Ann Rev Plant Physiol 28:89–121Gil R, Lull C, Boscaiu M, Bautista I, Lidón A, Vicente O (2011) Soluble carbohydrates as osmolytes in several halophytes from a Mediterranean salt marsh. Not Bot Horti Agrobo 39(2):9–17Grigore MN, Boscaiu M, Vicente O (2011) Assessment of the relevance of osmolyte biosynthesis for salt tolerance of halophytes under natural conditions. 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Not Bot Horti Agrobo 39(1):18–23Mota JF, Sánchez Gómez P, Merlo Calvente ME, Catalán Rodríguez P, Laguna Lumbreras E, de la Cruz Rot M, Navarro Reyes FB, Marchal Gallardo F, Bartolomé Esteban C, Martínez Labarga JM, Sainz Ollero H, Valle Tendero F, Serra Laliga L, Martínez Hernández F, Garrido Becerra JA, Pérez García FJ (2009) Aproximación a la checklist de los gipsófitos ibéricos. Anales de Biología 31:71–80Murakeözy ÉP, Nagy Z, Duhazé C, Bouchereau A, Tuba Z (2003) Seasonal changes in the levels of compatible osmolytes in three halophytic species of inland saline vegetation in Hungary. J Plant Physiol 160:395–401Nelson DW, Sommers LE (1982) Total carbon, organic carbon, and organic matter. In: Page AL et al (eds) Methods of soil analysis, part 2: chemical and microbiological properties. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, pp 539–577Palacio S, Escudero A, Montserrat-Martí G, Maestro M, Milla R, Albert M (2007) Plants living on gypsum: beyond the specialist model. 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Is salinity the main ecologic factor that shapes the distribution of two endemic Mediterranean plant species of the genus Gypsophila?

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11104-014-2218-2Aims Responses to salt stress of two Gypsophila species that share territory, but with different ecological optima and distribution ranges, were analysed. G. struthium is a regionally dominant Iberian endemic gypsophyte, whereas G. tomentosa is a narrow endemic reported as halophyte. Theworking hypothesis is that salt tolerance shapes the presence of these species in their specific habitats. Methods Taking a multidisciplinary approach, we assessed the soil characteristics and vegetation structure at the sampling site, seed germination and seedling development, growth and flowering, synthesis of proline and cation accumulation under artificial conditions of increasing salt stress and effect of PEG on germination and seedling development. Results Soil salinity was low at the all sampling points where the two species grow, but moisture was higher in the area of G. tomentosa. Differences were found in the species salt and drought tolerance. The different parameters tested did not show a clear pattern indicating the main role of salt tolerance in plant distribution. Conclusions G. tomentosa cannot be considered a true halophyte as previously reported because it is unable to complete its life cycle under salinity. The presence of G. tomentosa in habitats bordering salt marshes is a strategy to avoid plant competition and extreme water stressSoriano, P.; Moruno Manchón, JF.; Boscaiu Neagu, MT.; Vicente Meana, Ó.; Hurtado, A.; Llinares Palacios, JV.; Estrelles, E. (2014). Is salinity the main ecologic factor that shapes the distribution of two endemic Mediterranean plant species of the genus Gypsophila?. Plant and Soil. 384(1-2):363-379. doi:10.1007/s11104-014-2218-2S3633793841-2Alonso MA (1996) Flora y vegetación del Valle de Villena (Alicante). 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