Geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 clades in the WHO European Region, January to June 2020

We show the distribution of SARS-CoV-2 genetic clades over time and between countries and outline potential genomic surveillance objectives. We applied three available genomic nomenclature systems for SARS-CoV-2 to all sequence data from the WHO European Region available during the COVID-19 pandemic until 10 July 2020. We highlight the importance of real-time sequencing and data dissemination in a pandemic situation. We provide a comparison of the nomenclatures and lay a foundation for future European genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.Peer reviewe

The hydrological and geochemical isolation of a freshwater bog within a saline fen in north-eastern Alberta

In the oil sands development region near Fort McMurray, Alberta, wetlands cover ~62 % of the landscape, and ~95 % of these wetlands are peatlands. A saline fen was studied as a reference site for peatland reclamation. Despite highly saline conditions, a freshwater bog was observed in the path of local saline groundwater flow. The purpose of this study was to identify the hydrological controls that have allowed the development and persistence of a bog in this setting. The presence of bog vegetation and its dilute water chemistry suggest that saline groundwater from the fen rarely enters the bog, which functions predominantly as a groundwater recharge system. Chloride (Cl–) and sodium (Na+) were the dominant ions in fen water, with concentrations averaging 5394 and 2307 mg L-1, respectively, while the concentrations in bog water were 5 and 4 mg L-1, respectively. These concentrations were reflected by salinity and electrical conductivity measurements, which in the fen averaged 9.3 ppt, and 15.8 mS cm-1, respectively, and in the bog averaged 0.1 ppt and 0.3 mS cm-1, respectively. A small ridge in the mineral substratum was found at the fen–bog margin, which created a persistent groundwater mound. Under the dry conditions experienced in early summer, groundwater flow was directed away from the bog at a rate of 14.6 mm day-1. The convex water table at the fen-bog margin impeded flow of saline water into the bog and instead directed it around the bog margin. However, the groundwater mound was eliminated during flooding in autumn, when the horizontal hydraulic gradient across the margin became negligible, suggesting the possibility of saline water ingress into the bog under these conditions

Nutrient and light limitation of periphyton in the River Thames: implications for catchment management

Soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations in the River Thames, south east England, have significantly decreased from an annual maximum of 2100 μg l−1 in 1997 to 344 in 2010, primarily due to the introduction of phosphorus (P) removal at sewage treatment works within the catchment. However, despite this improvement in water quality, phytoplankton biomass in the River Thames has greatly increased in recent years, with peak chlorophyll concentrations increasing from 87 μg l−1 in the period 1997 to 2002, to 328 μg l−1 in 2009. A series of within-river flume mesocosm experiments were performed to determine the effect of changing nutrient concentrations and light levels on periphyton biomass accrual. Nutrient enrichment experiments showed that phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon were not limiting or co-limiting periphyton growth in the Thames at the time of the experiment (August–September 2010). Decreasing ambient SRP concentration from 225 μg l−1 to 173 μg l−1 had no effect on periphyton biomass accrual rate or diatom assemblage. Phosphorus limitation became apparent at 83 μg SRP l−1, at which point a 25% reduction in periphyton biomass was observed. Diatom assemblage significantly changed when the SRP concentration was reduced to 30 μg l−1. Such stringent phosphorus targets are costly and difficult to achieve for the River Thames, due to the high population density and intensive agriculture within the Thames basin. Reducing light levels by shading reduced the periphyton accrual rate by 50%. Providing shading along the River Thames by planting riparian tree cover could be an effective measure to reduce the risk of excessive algal growth. If the ecology of the Thames is to reach the WFD's “good ecological status”, then both SRP concentration reductions (probably to below 100 μg l−1) and increased shading will be required

Los rostros de la tierra encantada

El padre Manuel Marzal, S.J., fue un eminente investigador de la religión andina y sus transformaciones a través del tiempo, así como de las manifestaciones culturales y religiosas de los sectores populares del Perú, la historia intelectual y la actividad evangelizadora de la Orden de los Jesuitas en América Latina. Sus profundos y vastos conocimientos de estas temáticas se plasmaron en una serie de obras maestras y en una intensa labor pedagógica, antropológica y pastoral de profundo sentido humano, desarrollada por más de tres décadas en la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú y concluida en la Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, perteneciente a la Compañía de Jesús. Por la calidad de sus contribuciones, este libro es un digno homenaje a la figura del maestro y un tributo a su labor científica, como antropólogo y etnohistoriador. Los ensayos reunidos en este volumen, obra de destacados estudiosos de diferentes países de América y Europa, enfrentan y desarrollan varios de los temas trabajados por el padre Marzal, mostrando cuán relevante y fecunda ha sido su obra. Los textos, que en su mayoría se enmarcan en el vasto campo de las intersecciones entre antropología e historia, constituyen relevantes aportes en el estudio de la historia y la cultura de la sociedades indígenas, el trabajo misionero de los Jesuitas en América desde la Colonia y la cultura religiosa popular contemporánea. Por ello, el valor de este libro radica en sus valiosas contribuciones al campo de conocimientos que el mismo P. Marzal contribuyera a forjar.Dedicado a Manuel Marzal Fuentes, S.J

Incas e indios cristianos

Los trabajos reunidos aquí pretenden destacar la complejidad de la relación entre las culturas indígenas locales y los múltiples aspectos de la fe cristiana, y ofrecer nuevos paradigmas para los estudios en religión, historia y antropología. La multiplicidad de las formas de interacción entre quienes propagaron la religión católica y aquellos que la recibieron nos obliga a repensar la visión monolítica de la catequización o conversión de la América española como una enculturación masiva impuesta. También tendremos que descartar la idea simplista de una religión andina nacida de la combinación inadvertida de elementos europeos y andinos. Como lo dejan muy en claro las contribuciones de este libro, la realidad es al mismo tiempo más complicada y por ende más interesante

Measurement of charged pion double spin asymmetries at midrapidity in longitudinally polarized p+pp+p collisions at s\sqrt {s} = 510 GeV

International audienceThe PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has measured the longitudinal double spin asymmetries, ALL, for charged pions at midrapidity (|η|<0.35) in longitudinally polarized p+p collisions at s=510  GeV. These measurements are sensitive to the gluon spin contribution to the total spin of the proton in the parton momentum fraction x range between 0.04 and 0.09. One can infer the sign of the gluon polarization from the ordering of pion asymmetries with charge alone. The asymmetries are found to be consistent with global quantum-chromodynamics fits of deep-inelastic scattering and data at s=200  GeV, which show a nonzero positive contribution of gluon spin to the proton spin

J/ψJ/\psi and ψ(2S)\psi(2S) production at forward rapidity in pp+pp collisions at s=510\sqrt{s}=510 GeV

International audienceThe PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has measured the differential cross section, mean transverse momentum, mean transverse momentum squared of inclusive J/ψ, and cross section ratio of ψ(2S) to J/ψ at forward rapidity in p+p collisions at s=510  GeV via the dimuon decay channel. Comparison is made to inclusive J/ψ cross sections measured at s=200  GeV and 2.76–13 TeV. The result is also compared to leading-order nonrelativistic QCD calculations coupled to a color-glass-condensate description of the low-x gluons in the proton at low transverse momentum (pT) and to next-to-leading order nonrelativistic QCD calculations for the rest of the pT range. These calculations overestimate the data at low pT. While consistent with the data within uncertainties above ≈3  GeV/c, the calculations are systematically below the data. The total cross section times the branching ratio is BR dσppJ/ψ/dy(1.2<|y|<2.2,0<pT<10  GeV/c)=54.3±0.5(stat)±5.5(syst)  nb

Impact of COVID-19 on Cardiovascular Testing in the United States Versus the Rest of the World

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-U.S. institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p &lt; 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection