Production, partitioning and stoichiometry of organic matter under variable nutrient supply during mesocosm experiments in the tropical Pacific and Atlantic Ocean

Oxygen-deficient waters in the ocean, generally referred to as oxygen minimum zones (OMZ), are expected to expand as a consequence of global climate change. Poor oxygenation is promoting microbial loss of inorganic nitrogen (N) and increasing release of sediment-bound phosphate (P) into the water column. These intermediate water masses, nutrient-loaded but with an N deficit relative to the canonical N:P Redfield ratio of 16:1, are transported via coastal upwelling into the euphotic zone. To test the impact of nutrient supply and nutrient stoichiometry on production, partitioning and elemental composition of dissolved (DOC, DON, DOP) and particulate (POC, PON, POP) organic matter, three nutrient enrichment experiments were conducted with natural microbial communities in shipboard mesocosms, during research cruises in the tropical waters of the southeast Pacific and the northeast Atlantic. Maximum accumulation of POC and PON was observed under high N supply conditions, indicating that primary production was controlled by N availability. The stoichiometry of microbial biomass was unaffected by nutrient N:P supply during exponential growth under nutrient saturation, while it was highly variable under conditions of nutrient limitation and closely correlated to the N:P supply ratio, although PON:POP of accumulated biomass generally exceeded the supply ratio. Microbial N:P composition was constrained by a general lower limit of 5:1. Channelling of assimilated P into DOP appears to be the mechanism responsible for the consistent offset of cellular stoichiometry relative to inorganic nutrient supply and nutrient drawdown, as DOP build-up was observed to intensify under decreasing N:P supply. Low nutrient N:P conditions in coastal upwelling areas overlying O2-deficient waters seem to represent a net source for DOP, which may stimulate growth of diazotrophic phytoplankton. These results demonstrate that microbial nutrient assimilation and partitioning of organic matter between the particulate and the dissolved phase are controlled by the N:P ratio of upwelled nutrients, implying substantial consequences for nutrient cycling and organic matter pools in the course of decreasing nutrient N:P stoichiometry

Coexistence of multi-photon processes and longitudinal couplings in superconducting flux qubits

In contrast to natural atoms, the potential energies for superconducting flux qubit (SFQ) circuits can be artificially controlled. When the inversion symmetry of the potential energy is broken, we find that the multi-photon processes can coexist in the multi-level SFQ circuits. Moreover, there are not only transverse but also longitudinal couplings between the external magnetic fields and the SFQs when the inversion symmetry of potential energy is broken. The longitudinal coupling would induce some new phenomena in the SFQs. Here we will show how the longitudinal coupling can result in the coexistence of multi-photon processes in a two-level system formed by a SFQ circuit. We also show that the SFQs can become transparent to the transverse coupling fields when the longitudinal coupling fields satisfy the certain conditions. We further show that the quantum Zeno effect can also be induced by the longitudinal coupling in the SFQs. Finally we clarify why the longitudinal coupling can induce coexistence and disappearance of single- and two-photon processes for a driven SFQ, which is coupled to a single-mode quantized field.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

Signet-Ring Cell Carcinoma Arising in the Gastric Stump After Duodenopancreatectomy for Ductal Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas: A Case Report

The development of malignancy in the gastric stump following surgery for peptic ulcer disease is well recognized. There are also few reports on carcinomas occurring after surgery for malignant gastric disease. However, carcinoma of the gastric stump after duodenopancreatectomy is extremely rare. We describe what we believe to be an unusual case of signet-ring cell carcinoma of the gastric stump developing at the anastomotic site 5 years after duodenopancreatectomy for ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head. We performed remnant gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy as a curative resection. This experience clearly underlies that g astric stump carcinoma (GSC) may mimic metastatic disease recurrence leading to diagnostic confusion after surgery for malignancy. Although an increased risk of gastric stump carcinoma after pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer has not been established, the possibility of such a complication should be kept in mind when evaluating patients after gastric resection who present with symptoms of metastatic disease recurrence years after the primary operation. Investigations should be independent of the entity of the primary disease or its localization, since GSC may well be amenable to surgical cure as demonstrated in the presented case. Outpatient follow up results of the last four years indicated no recurrence in this case

The role of gelatinous macrozooplankton in deep-sea carbon transport in Cape Verde Cruise No. POS532

4/2/2019 – 24/2/2019, Mindelo (Republic of Cape Verde) – Mindelo (Republic of Cape Verde) DeepC-Jelly We proposed to test the hypothesis that large gelatinous macrozooplankton (e.g. tunicates, hydrozoans) are a significant carbon storage in midwater, and a vector for carbon from midwater to the ocean floor in Cape Verde. To test this hypothesis, we studied 1) the distribution, diversity and abundance of gelatinous organisms in the epi-, meso-, and bathypelagic zone, 2) their role in transporting carbon through the pelagic foodweb to the seafloor and 3) their behavior and associations. We worked in the coastal deep sea off Santo Antão and Fogo as well as in the open ocean at the time series station CVOO and an eddy. A manned submersible was used for mesopelagic surveys, to document the behaviour and associations of deep-sea organisms and to collect living specimens. We performed pelagic video transects, discrete net sampling, and eDNA sampling down to 3000 m. ADCP and CTD transects allowed a detailed reconstruction of the effect of the islands on currents and productivity. To quantify the carbon flux of pelagic foodfalls, we also surveyed the seafloor. Sample and video analysis is still in progress, but first results indicate the impact of the pelagic tunicate Pyrosoma atlanticum, which is an upwelling-favored species largely absent from the oligotrophic open ocean, in the nearshore regions of Cape Verde as well as in the cyclonic eddy sampled. It was also observed on the seafloor and resembles a food source and a habitat in the water column and in the benthos. Specimens of pelagic fauna were collected that allow new species descriptions. New records and a new species for the region were also observed during benthic surveys. The cruise was documented in various outreach activities including national television in Cabo Verde

On the interplay of waveguide modes and leaky modes in corrugated OLEDs

Bragg gratings incorporated into organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) establish a coupling between waveguide modes and useful light (leaky modes). Here we demonstrate that the net coupling direction depends on the OLED stack design. We fabricated two different device structures with gold Bragg gratings. Angle resolved electroluminescence spectra were recorded. For the first device peaks of enhanced emission due to the Bragg grating are observed corresponding to a net energy transfer in direction of the leaky modes. The second device, on the other hand, exhibits dips in the emission spectrum. This reversed direction of energy transfer from the leaky modes to the waveguide modes is explained considering transfer matrix simulations of modal intensity distributions and device emission simulations. An OLED efficiency enhancement is only achieved, if the waveguide mode extraction is dominant

Advanced radiometric and interferometric milimeter-wave scene simulations

Smart munitions and weapons utilize various imaging sensors (including passive IR, active and passive millimeter-wave, and visible wavebands) to detect/identify targets at short standoff ranges and in varied terrain backgrounds. In order to design and evaluate these sensors under a variety of conditions, a high-fidelity scene simulation capability is necessary. Such a capability for passive millimeter-wave scene simulation exists at TRW. TRW's Advanced Radiometric Millimeter-Wave Scene Simulation (ARMSS) code is a rigorous, benchmarked, end-to-end passive millimeter-wave scene simulation code for interpreting millimeter-wave data, establishing scene signatures and evaluating sensor performance. In passive millimeter-wave imaging, resolution is limited due to wavelength and aperture size. Where high resolution is required, the utility of passive millimeter-wave imaging is confined to short ranges. Recent developments in interferometry have made possible high resolution applications on military platforms. Interferometry or synthetic aperture radiometry allows the creation of a high resolution image with a sparsely filled aperture. Borrowing from research work in radio astronomy, we have developed and tested at TRW scene reconstruction algorithms that allow the recovery of the scene from a relatively small number of spatial frequency components. In this paper, the TRW modeling capability is described and numerical results are presented

The Pelagic In situ Observation System (PELAGIOS) to reveal biodiversity, behavior, and ecology of elusive oceanic fauna

There is a need for cost-efficient tools to explore deep-ocean ecosystems to collect baseline biological observations on pelagic fauna (zooplankton and nekton) and establish the vertical ecological zonation in the deep sea. The Pelagic In situ Observation System (PELAGIOS) is a 3000 m rated slowly (0.5 m s−1) towed camera system with LED illumination, an integrated oceanographic sensor set (CTD-O2) and telemetry allowing for online data acquisition and video inspection (low definition). The high-definition video is stored on the camera and later annotated using software and related to concomitantly recorded environmental data. The PELAGIOS is particularly suitable for open-ocean observations of gelatinous fauna, which is notoriously under-sampled by nets and/or destroyed by fixatives. In addition to counts, diversity, and distribution data as a function of depth and environmental conditions (T, S, O2), in situ observations of behavior, orientation, and species interactions are collected. Here, we present an overview of the technical setup of the PELAGIOS as well as example observations and analyses from the eastern tropical North Atlantic. Comparisons to data from the Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS) net sampling and data from the Underwater Vision Profiler (UVP) are provided and discussed

Serum Peptidome Profiling Revealed Platelet Factor 4 as a Potential Discriminating Peptide Associated With Pancreatic Cancer

Purpose: Mass spectrometry-based serum peptidome profiling is a promising tool to identify novel disease-associated biomarkers, but is limited by preanalytical factors and the intricacies of complex data processing. Therefore, we investigated whether standardized sample protocols and new bioinformatic tools combined with external data validation improve the validity of peptidome profiling for the discovery of pancreatic cancer associated serum markers. Experimental Design: For discovery study, two sets of sera from patients with pancreatic cancer (n=40) and healthy controls (n=40) were obtained from two different clinical centers. For external data validation, we collected an independent set of samples from patients (n=20) and healthy controls (n=20). Magnetic beads (MB) with different surface functionalities were used for peptidome fractionation followed by MALDI-TOF MS. Data evaluation was carried out comparing two different bioinformatic strategies. Following proteome database search the matching candidate peptide was verified by MALDI-TOF MS after specific antibody-based immunoaffinity chromatography and independently confirmed by an ELISA assay. Results: Two significant peaks (m/z 3884; 5959) achieved a sensitivity of 86.3% and specificity of 97.6% for the discrimination of patients and healthy controls in the external validation set. Adding peak m/z 3884 to conventional clinical tumor markers (CA 19-9 and CEA) improved sensitivity and specificity as shown by ROC analysis (AUROCcombined=1.00). Mass spectrometry based m/z 3884 peak identification and following immunological quantitation revealed platelet factor 4 as the corresponding peptide. Conclusions: MALDI-TOF MS based serum peptidome profiling allowed the discovery and validation of platelet factor 4 as a new discriminating marker in pancreatic cancer

Particulate matter flux interception in oceanic mesoscale eddies by the polychaete Poeobius sp.

Gelatinous zooplankton hold key functions in the ocean and have been shown to significantly influence the transport of organic carbon to the deep sea. We discovered a gelatinous, flux‐feeding polychaete of the genus Poeobius in very high abundances in a mesoscale eddy in the tropical Atlantic Ocean, where it co‐occurred with extremely low particle concentrations. Subsequent analysis of an extensive in situ imaging dataset revealed that Poeobius sp. occurred sporadically between 5°S–20°N and 16°W–46°W in the upper 1000 m. Abundances were significantly elevated and the depth distribution compressed in anticyclonic modewater eddies (ACMEs). In two ACMEs, high Poeobius sp. abundances were associated with strongly reduced particle concentrations and fluxes in the layers directly below the polychaete. We discuss possible reasons for the elevated abundances of Poeobius sp. in ACMEs and provide estimations showing that a single zooplankton species can completely intercept the downward particle flux by feeding with their mucous nets, thereby substantially altering the biogeochemical setting within the eddy