Sediment yield model implementation based on check dam infill stratigraphy in a semiarid Mediterranean catchment

Soil loss and sediment transport in Mediterranean areas are driven by complex non-linear processes which have been only partially understood. Distributed models can be very helpful tools for understanding the catchment-scale phenomena which lead to soil erosion and sediment transport. In this study, a modelling approach is proposed to reproduce and evaluate erosion and sediment yield processes in a Mediterranean catchment (Rambla del Poyo, Valencia, Spain). Due to the lack of sediment transport records for model calibration and validation, a detailed description of the alluvial stratigraphy infilling a check dam that drains a 12.9 km(2) sub-catchment was used as indirect information of sediment yield data. These dam infill sediments showed evidences of at least 15 depositional events (floods) over the time period 1990-2009. The TETIS model, a distributed conceptual hydrological and sediment model, was coupled to the Sediment Trap Efficiency for Small Ponds (STEP) model for reproducing reservoir retention, and it was calibrated and validated using the sedimentation volume estimated for the depositional units associated with discrete runoff events. The results show relatively low net erosion rates compared to other Mediterranean catchments (0.136 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1)), probably due to the extensive outcrops of limestone bedrock, thin soils and rather homogeneous vegetation cover. The simulated sediment production and transport rates offer model satisfactory results, further supported by in-site palaeohydrological evidences and spatial validation using additional check dams, showing the great potential of the presented data assimilation methodology for the quantitative analysis of sediment dynamics in ungauged Mediterranean basins.This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the research projects FLOOD-MED (ref. CGL2008-06474-C02-01/02), SCARCE-CONSOLIDER (ref. CSD2009-00065), CLARIES (ref. CGL2011-29176) and ECO-TETIS (ref. CGL2011-28776-C02-01). The hydrometeorological data was provided by the Automatic Hydrological Information System of the Spanish Jucar River Authority (SAIH - Confederacion Hidrografica del Jucar). Wildfires information was provided by the Regional Government. 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Evidence for PTGER4, PSCA, and MBOAT7 as risk genes for gastric cancer on the genome and transcriptome level

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Giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu's arteritis (TAK) are major forms of large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) that share clinical features. To evaluate their genetic similarities, we analysed Immunochip genotyping data from 1,434 LVV patients and 3,814 unaffected controls. Genetic pleiotropy was also estimated. The HLA region harboured the main disease-specific associations. GCA was mostly associated with class II genes (HLA-DRB1/HLA-DQA1) whereas TAK was mostly associated with class I genes (HLA-B/MICA). Both the statistical significance and effect size of the HLA signals were considerably reduced in the cross-disease meta-analysis in comparison with the analysis of GCA and TAK separately. Consequently, no significant genetic correlation between these two diseases was observed when HLA variants were tested. Outside the HLA region, only one polymorphism located nearby the IL12B gene surpassed the study-wide significance threshold in the meta-analysis of the discovery datasets (rs755374, P?=?7.54E-07; ORGCA?=?1.19, ORTAK?=?1.50). This marker was confirmed as novel GCA risk factor using four additional cohorts (PGCA?=?5.52E-04, ORGCA?=?1.16). Taken together, our results provide evidence of strong genetic differences between GCA and TAK in the HLA. Outside this region, common susceptibility factors were suggested, especially within the IL12B locus

A Large-Scale Genetic Analysis Reveals a Strong Contribution of the HLA Class II Region to Giant Cell Arteritis Susceptibility

We conducted a large-scale genetic analysis on giant cell arteritis (GCA), a polygenic immune-mediated vasculitis. A case-control cohort, comprising 1,651 case subjects with GCA and 15,306 unrelated control subjects from six different countries of European ancestry, was genotyped by the Immunochip array. We also imputed HLA data with a previously validated imputation method to perform a more comprehensive analysis of this genomic region. The strongest association signals were observed in the HLA region, with rs477515 representing the highest peak (p = 4.05 × 10−40, OR = 1.73). A multivariate model including class II amino acids of HLA-DRβ1 and HLA-DQα1 and one class I amino acid of HLA-B explained most of the HLA association with GCA, consistent with previously reported associations of classical HLA alleles like HLA-DRB1∗04. An omnibus test on polymorphic amino acid positions highlighted DRβ1 13 (p = 4.08 × 10−43) and HLA-DQα1 47 (p = 4.02 × 10−46), 56, and 76 (both p = 1.84 × 10−45) as relevant positions for disease susceptibility. Outside the HLA region, the most significant loci included PTPN22 (rs2476601, p = 1.73 × 10−6, OR = 1.38), LRRC32 (rs10160518, p = 4.39 × 10−6, OR = 1.20), and REL (rs115674477, p = 1.10 × 10−5, OR = 1.63). Our study provides evidence of a strong contribution of HLA class I and II molecules to susceptibility to GCA. In the non-HLA region, we confirmed a key role for the functional PTPN22 rs2476601 variant and proposed other putative risk loci for GCA involved in Th1, Th17, and Treg cell function

Fauna icnológica del Triásico del extremo noroccidental de la Cordillera Ibérica (Prov.de Guadalajara)

The vertebrate ichnofaima found by the authors in the Triassic rocks of the Northwestern Iberian Ranges is described here. These footprints have been found in the uppermost part of the detrital "Buntsandstein" facies, except for the most western outcrops where they appear in the detrital intercalations of the "Muschelkalk" facies. Seven genus have been identificated and a new species (Rh ychosauroides virgiliae n. sp.) is described, this new species is found in the lberian Ranges and in the French Central Massif.Se describe la fauna icnológica de vertebrados encontrada en los materiales triásicos que afloran en el sector noroccidental de la Cordillera Ibérica. Los niveles que contienen las huellas se encuentran en la parte superior de los materiales detríticos del "Buntsandstein", excepto en la columna más occidental, donde han sido localizados en las intercalaciones detríticas que presenta el Muschelkalk de este sector. La fauna identificada comprende siete géneros, describiéndose una nueva especie (Rhynchosauroides virgiliae n. sp.) que se encuentra en la Cordillera Ibérica y en el Macizo Central francés.Peer reviewe

Calibration of a hydrological model using sediment proxy data

Soil loss and sediment transport in Mediterranean areas are highly-complex and non-linear processes which have been only partially understood. In order to facilitate the comprehension of these phenomena, distributed models can be very helpful tools for sediment yield estimation. In this work, a modelling approach is proposed to reproduce and evaluate erosion and sediment yield processes in a Mediterranean catchment (Rambla del Poyo, Valencia, Spain). Due to the lack of sediment production records for model calibration and validation, a detailed description of the alluvial stratigraphy infilling a check dam that drains a 12.9 km2 sub-catchment was used as an indirect evidence of sediment yield data. These dam infill sediments showed evidences of at least 15 depositional events (floods) over the time period 1990 ¿ 2009, with a total estimated volume ranging between 1250 and 1435 m3, depending on the calculation approach. The TETIS-SED model, a distributed conceptual hydrological and sediment model, was coupled to the Sediment Trap Efficiency for Small Ponds (STEP) model for reproducing reservoir retention, and it was calibrated and validated using the sedimentation volume estimated for the depositional units associated with discrete runoff events. The results show relatively low net erosion rates compared to other Mediterranean catchment (14 t km-2 y-1), probably due to the prevalence of limestone and homogeneous vegetation cover, and confirms the ephemeral behaviour of the stream. The modelled sediment production rates offer satisfactory results, further supported by palaeohydrological evidences, showing its great potential for the quantitative analysis of sediment dynamics in ungauged Mediterranean basins.Peer Reviewe