Flood risk management based on 2D TELEMAC computations: an example with Swiss hazard map

A case study in Switzerland is considered, where hazard/flood maps are established as part of the planning of flood protection measures. Due to the commune’s location within a flat plain divided by a railway dike, it could be shown that the settlements an d infrastructures are much more endangered by floods than originally thought. Using the theme “land cover” of the digital cadastral survey , a digital terrain model (DTM) and bathymetry data, break lines were generated to build a triangular mesh . Culverts, tubes and bridges are a n important element of hazard mapping, as they can alter or create new flow paths not only as common bottlenecks in the channel ( overflow), but also outside in flooded settlement areas where pedestrian/road underpasses and tunnels a re present However, the modelling of culverts and tubes has revealed that they are no longer suitable from a certain size of the channel, as the flow passes by the point which define s the culvert. Thus, several workarounds were tested to improve the relia bility of the culverts/tubes Recorded floods have shown that buildings are not necessarily an impermeable obstacle for the flowing water. An approach was developed to consider buildings as floodable as well as impermeable, as it could be observed that lar ger building complexes may by traversed by floods and alter the flow paths in this way. If these aspects are taken into account, an informative hazard map may be established

CD154 Expression Indicates T Cell Activation Following Tetanus Toxoid Vaccination of Horses.

Despite the relevance of adaptive immunity against equine pathogens antigen-specific T cell responses of horses are not well characterized and the lack of insight into T cell responses hampers the understanding of the pathogeneses of important diseases. In this study we used tetanus toxoid (TT) as a well-defined antigen to characterize antigen-reactive T cells. Six healthy adult horses received a routine booster against tetanus with an immune stimulating complex (ISCOM)-based vaccine and were followed for 28 days. TT-specific serum antibodies were quantified by ELISA and increased in all horses by day 7 after vaccination. CD154 is an established indicator of antigen-reactive T helper cells in other species, but has not been characterized in horses. CD154 detection in equine PBMC by an anti-human CD154 antibody (clone 5C8) was confirmed by Western blots and then applied for flow cytometry. As a common indicator of equine T cell activation, cytokine induction was studied in parallel. T cells were analyzed by multicolor flow cytometry of PBMC after re-stimulation with TT in vitro. Reactive T helper (Th) cells were characterized by increased frequencies of CD4+CD154+ lymphocytes in in vitro TT-re-stimulated PBMC on day 14 after vaccination of the horses compared to pre-vaccination. The majority of all CD154+ cells after TT re-stimulation were CD4+ Th cells, but CD154 was also induced on CD4- cells albeit in lower frequencies. CD154+CD4+ Th cells were enriched in cytokine-expressing cells compared to CD154-CD4+ Th cells. Similar to the CD4+CD154+ frequencies, CD4+IL-4+, CD4+IFN-γ+ and CD4+TNF-α+ were increased after vaccination, but IL-4+ increased later than IFN-γ+ and CD4+TNF-α+, which already exceeded pre-vaccination frequencies on day 7. CD4+CD154+ frequencies correlated positively with those of CD4+IL-4+ (Th2) on day 14, and negatively with CD4+IFN-γ+ induction on day 7, but did not correlate with CD4+TNF-α+ frequencies or TT-specific antibody concentrations. CD154 appears to be a useful marker of antigen-reactive equine Th cells in combination with cytokine expression. The T cell analyses established here with TT can be applied to other antigens relevant for infections or allergies of horses and in horse models for translational research

Karakteristik Morfologi Permukaan Pada Polimer PVdF-LiBOB-ZrO2 dan Potensinya untuk Elektrolit Baterai Litium

Membran elektrolit polimer pada baterai litium ion berfungsi sebagai media transport ion dan sebagai separator antara anoda dan katoda. Dalam penelitian ini, telah dilakukan sintesis membran elektrolit polimer LiBOB (Lithium Bis Oksalato Borate dengan rumus kimia LiB(C2O4)2) dengan menggunakan Polyvilinidine fluoride (PVdF) sebagai matriks dan bahan aditif  Zirkonium Oksida (ZrO2). Metoda yang dipergunakan adalah solution cast. Konsentrasi bahan aditif dibuat bervariasi. Membran yang terbentuk dikarakterisasi morfologi permukaan menggunakan Scanning Electrone Microscope (SEM), sifat elektrokimia dengan Cyclic Voltametric (CV) dan kapasitas baterai dengan kurva charge discharge. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa morfologi permukaan rantai polimer saling berikatan dan tersusun dengan bagus. Pori tertutup oleh rantai polimer secara rata yang berikatan membentuk jaring dan saling bertumpukan pada keadaan amorf. Terjadi reaksi oksidasi dan reduksi pada sel baterai dengan kapasitas charge sekitar 24 mAh pada tegangan 4 volt, sedangkan kapasitas discharge bernilai sama sekitar 24 mAh pada tegangan 4 volt dengan penambahan 10% ZrO2

Report and preliminary results of SONNE cruise SO175, Miami - Bremerhaven, 12.11 - 30.12.2003 : (GAP, Gibraltar Arc Processes)

Expedition SO175 using FS Sonne aimed for a multidisciplinerary geoscientific approach with an international group of researchers. Methods covered the entire span from geophysical data acquisition (seafloor mapping, echography, seismic reflection), sediment coring at sites of active fluid venting, in situ heat flow measurements across the entire length of the Gibraltar thrust wedge, the deformation front, landslide bodies, and mud volcanoes, and finally the deployment of a long-term pore pressure probe. Video-supported operations helped to identify fluid vent sites, regions with tectonic activity, and other attractive high priority targets. Qualitative and quantitative examinations took place on board and are continued on land with respect to pore pressure variation, geomicrobiology, sediment- and fluid mobilization, geochemical processes, faunal assemblages (e.g. cold water corals), and gas hydrates (flammable methane-ice-crystals). Main focus of the expedition has been a better understanding of interaction between dynamic processes in a seismically active region region with slow plate convergence. In the context of earthquake nucleation and subduction zone processes, the SO175 research programme had a variety of goals, such as: • To test the frictional behaviour of the abyssal plain sediments. • To explore the temperature field of the 1755 thrust earthquake event via heat flow measurements. • To assess the role of fluid venting and gas hydrate processes control slope stability and mud volcanic activity along the Iberian continental margin. • To measure isotope geochemistry of pore waters and carbonates of deep fluids. • To quantify microbial activity in Gibraltar wedge sediments. • To test whether microseismicity in the area corresponds to in situ pore pressure changes. • To find out if enhanced heat flow max be indicative of active subduction. Initial tentative results during the cruise suggest that there is a component of active thrusting at the base of the wedge, as attested by heat flow data. Based on mostly geochemical evidence, mud volcanism was found less active than previously assumed. Highlights from post-cruise research include the successful deployment of the long-term station and high frictional resistance of all incoming sediment on the three abyssal plains

Early endonuclease-mediated evasion of RNA sensing ensures efficient coronavirus replication.

Coronaviruses are of veterinary and medical importance and include highly pathogenic zoonotic viruses, such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. They are known to efficiently evade early innate immune responses, manifesting in almost negligible expression of type-I interferons (IFN-I). This evasion strategy suggests an evolutionary conserved viral function that has evolved to prevent RNA-based sensing of infection in vertebrate hosts. Here we show that the coronavirus endonuclease (EndoU) activity is key to prevent early induction of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) host cell responses. Replication of EndoU-deficient coronaviruses is greatly attenuated in vivo and severely restricted in primary cells even during the early phase of the infection. In macrophages we found immediate induction of IFN-I expression and RNase L-mediated breakdown of ribosomal RNA. Accordingly, EndoU-deficient viruses can retain replication only in cells that are deficient in IFN-I expression or sensing, and in cells lacking both RNase L and PKR. Collectively our results demonstrate that the coronavirus EndoU efficiently prevents simultaneous activation of host cell dsRNA sensors, such as Mda5, OAS and PKR. The localization of the EndoU activity at the site of viral RNA synthesis-within the replicase complex-suggests that coronaviruses have evolved a viral RNA decay pathway to evade early innate and intrinsic antiviral host cell responses

COVID-19 Severity in Multiple Sclerosis: Putting Data Into Context

Background and objectives: It is unclear how multiple sclerosis (MS) affects the severity of COVID-19. The aim of this study is to compare COVID-19-related outcomes collected in an Italian cohort of patients with MS with the outcomes expected in the age- and sex-matched Italian population. Methods: Hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death after COVID-19 diagnosis of 1,362 patients with MS were compared with the age- and sex-matched Italian population in a retrospective observational case-cohort study with population-based control. The observed vs the expected events were compared in the whole MS cohort and in different subgroups (higher risk: Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] score > 3 or at least 1 comorbidity, lower risk: EDSS score ≤ 3 and no comorbidities) by the χ2 test, and the risk excess was quantified by risk ratios (RRs). Results: The risk of severe events was about twice the risk in the age- and sex-matched Italian population: RR = 2.12 for hospitalization (p < 0.001), RR = 2.19 for ICU admission (p < 0.001), and RR = 2.43 for death (p < 0.001). The excess of risk was confined to the higher-risk group (n = 553). In lower-risk patients (n = 809), the rate of events was close to that of the Italian age- and sex-matched population (RR = 1.12 for hospitalization, RR = 1.52 for ICU admission, and RR = 1.19 for death). In the lower-risk group, an increased hospitalization risk was detected in patients on anti-CD20 (RR = 3.03, p = 0.005), whereas a decrease was detected in patients on interferon (0 observed vs 4 expected events, p = 0.04). Discussion: Overall, the MS cohort had a risk of severe events that is twice the risk than the age- and sex-matched Italian population. This excess of risk is mainly explained by the EDSS score and comorbidities, whereas a residual increase of hospitalization risk was observed in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and a decrease in people on interferon

DMTs and Covid-19 severity in MS: a pooled analysis from Italy and France

We evaluated the effect of DMTs on Covid-19 severity in patients with MS, with a pooled-analysis of two large cohorts from Italy and France. The association of baseline characteristics and DMTs with Covid-19 severity was assessed by multivariate ordinal-logistic models and pooled by a fixed-effect meta-analysis. 1066 patients with MS from Italy and 721 from France were included. In the multivariate model, anti-CD20 therapies were significantly associated (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.39–3.02, p < 0.001) with Covid-19 severity, whereas interferon indicated a decreased risk (OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.18–0.99, p = 0.047). This pooled-analysis confirms an increased risk of severe Covid-19 in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and supports the protective role of interferon

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements