BRAIN - Holocene archaeo-data for assessing plant-cultural diversity in Italy and other Mediterranean regions

Abstract In the field of botany applied to archaeological and palaeoecological studies, the multi- and inter-disciplinary nature of this research produces a lack of data sharing and scattered articles in the specialty literature or in national and international journals. The vast production of archaeobotany and palynology data makes it necessary to develop a tool for the availability, accessibility, and dissemination of existing research. Many databases exist on palaeoecology, archaeobotany or pollen data. There are no collections focused on archaeological sites and human-induced environments and centred on Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. BRAIN - Botanical Records of Archaeobotany Italian Network is the first database listing sites from which all types of plant records are available in Italy and nearby Mediterranean regions. BRAIN represents the largest integrated collection of archaeo/palaeo-botanical data and a range of descriptive information that makes data recovery FAIR ready. This unique network hosts data on the availability of anthropogenic pollen, palynomorphs and plant macroremains in the same database, and experts of different research fields may contribute to it

Stratus 10 tenth setting of the Stratus Ocean Reference Station : cruise RB-10-01, January 2 - January 30, 2010 Charleston, South Carolina - Valparaiso, Chile

The Ocean Reference Station at 20°S, 85°W under the stratus clouds west of northern Chile is being maintained to provide ongoing climate-quality records of surface meteorology, air-sea fluxes of heat, freshwater, and momentum, and of upper ocean temperature, salinity, and velocity variability. The Stratus Ocean Reference Station (ORS Stratus) is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Observation Program. It is recovered and redeployed annually, with past cruises that have come between October and December. Due to necessary repairs on the electric motors of the ship’s propulsion system, this year the cruise was delayed until January. During the 2009/2010 cruise on the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown to the ORS Stratus site, the primary activities were the recovery of the Stratus 9 WHOI surface mooring that had been deployed in October 2008, deployment of a new (Stratus 10) WHOI surface mooring at that site, in-situ calibration of the buoy meteorological sensors by comparison with instrumentation installed on the ship by staff of the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL), and collection of underway and on station oceanographic data to continue to characterize the upper ocean in the stratus region. Both underway CTD (UCTD) profiles and Vertical Microstructure Profiles (VMP) were collected along the track and during surveys dedicated to investigating eddy variability in the region. Surface drifters were also launched along the track. The intent was also to visit a buoy for the Pacific tsunami warning system maintained by the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy (SHOA). This DART (Deep- Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami) buoy had been equipped with IMET sensors and subsurface oceanographic instruments, and a recovery and replacement of the IMET sensors was planned. However, the DART buoy broke free from its mooring on January 3rd and was recovered by the Chilean navy; the work done at that site during this cruise was the recovery of the bottom pressure unit.Funding was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under Grant No. NA17RJ1223 for the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Ocean Research (CICOR)

Evidence for a Prehypertensive Water Dysregulation Affecting the Development of Hypertension: Results of Very Early Treatment of Vasopressin V1 and V2 Antagonism in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

In addition to long-term regulation of blood pressure (BP), in the kidney resides the initial trigger for hypertension development due to an altered capacity to excrete sodium and water. Betaine is one of the major organic osmolytes, and its betaine/gamma-aminobutyric acid transporter (BGT-1) expression in the renal medulla relates to interstitial tonicity and urinary osmolality and volume. This study investigated altered water and sodium balance as well as changes in antidiuretic hormone (ADH) activity in female spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats from their 3-5 weeks of age (prehypertensive phase) to SHR's 28-30 weeks of age (established hypertension-organ damage). Young prehypertensive SHRs showed a reduced daily urine output, an elevated urine osmolarity, and higher immunostaining of tubule BGT-1, alpha-1-Na-K ATPase in the outer medulla vs. age-matched WKY. ADH circulating levels were not different between young prehypertensive SHR and WKY, but the urine aquaporin2 (AQP2)/creatinine ratio and labeling of AQP2 in the collecting duct were increased. At 28-30 weeks, hypertensive SHR with moderate renal failure did not show any difference in urinary osmolarity, urine AQP2/creatinine ratio, tubule BGT-1, and alpha-1-Na-K ATPase as compared with WKY. These results suggest an increased sensitivity to ADH in prehypertensive female SHR. On this basis, a second series of experiments were set to study the role of ADH V1 and V2 receptors in the development of hypertension, and a group of female prehypertensive SHRs were treated from the 25th to 49th day of age with either V1 (OPC21268) or V2 (OPC 41061) receptor antagonists to evaluate the BP time course. OPC 41061-treated SHRs had a delayed development of hypertension for 5 weeks without effect in OPC 21268-treated SHRs. In prehypertensive female SHR, an increased renal ADH sensitivity is crucial for the development of hypertension by favoring a positive water balance. Early treatment with selective V2 antagonism delays future hypertension development in young SHRs

Thin ice, deep snow and surface flooding in Kotzebue Sound: landfast ice mass balance during two anomalously warm winters and implications for marine mammals and subsistence hunting

The inaugural data from the first systematic program of sea ice observations in Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, in 2018 coincided with the first winter in living memory when the Sound was not choked with ice. The following winter of 2018-19 was even warmer and characterized by even less ice. Here we discuss the mass balance of landfast ice near Kotzebue (Qikiktagruk) during these two anomalously warm winters. We use in-situ observations and a 1-D thermodynamic model to address three research questions developed in partnership with an Indigenous Advisory Council. In doing so, we improve our understanding of connections between landfast ice mass balance, marine mammals, and subsistence hunting. Specifically, we show: i) Ice growth stopped unusually early due to strong vertical ocean heat flux, which also likely contributed to early start to bearded seal hunting; ii) Unusually thin ice contributed to widespread surface flooding. The associated snow ice formation partly offset the reduced ice growth, but the flooding likely had a negative impact on ringed seal habitat; iii) Sea ice near Kotzebue during the winters of 2017-18 and 2018-19 was likely the thinnest since at least 1945, driven by a combination of warm air temperatures and a persistent ocean heat flux.

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Palynology from Lake Faideh: environmental changes and human influence in Upper Mesopotamia (ca. 32,000 - 8,000 BC)

In this contribution we want to present the preliminary results of the palynological analysis of the Faideh fluviolacustrine sequence, located in the northwestern Kurdistan Iraqi Region (KRI). The study is part of a multidisciplinary project aimed at reconstructing the evolution of the Late Quaternary landscape of Upper Mesopotamia

Sophisticated land management in the Middle-Recent Bronze Age: palynologycal evidence from the Terramara Santa Rosa di Poviglio (northern Italy)

The integrated palynological and geoarchaeological study provides increasingly detailed knowledge of the subsistence and productive economy of prehistoric cultures. The Terramara Santa Rosa di Poviglio Bronze Age site (Northern Italy) was characterised by a complex system of sylvo-agricultural economy and a multifunctional land use as happened in most of prehistoric sites. The site consists of two dwelling areas - ‘Villaggio Piccolo’ (VP) and ‘Villaggio Grande’ (VG) - dating back to the Middle Bronze Age and to the Recent Bronze Age, respectively. During the exploration of the hydraulic facilities of the site, a stratigraphic sequence 4 m deep was identified in the moat dividing the VP and VG part of the settlements. The high-resolution VP/VG stratigraphic record provided a ten-year resolved pollen stratigraphy that preserves evidence of environmental changes happened in the Po Plain during the Late Holocene. Pedosedimentary features and biological records (aquatics pollen and algal remains) show that shallow water was permanent at the bottom of the moat at the beginning of the formation of the sequence, while the water level dropped significantly during the last phase of existence of the settlement. Along the trajectory of the settlement, pollen curves show significant trends and short oscillations representing coppicing and crop rotation practices. In the last phases of site occupation, an increased climatic aridity and intensive land use may have had a combined negative effect at the expense of plant cover. Cereal cultivation continued during the late Recent Bronze, but the main traits of the landscape became pasturelands. The study of the final part of the infilling of the moat indicates that the regeneration of the forest did not occur immediately after the abandonment of the village (dated at ca. 3200 years BP), but in the early Middle Ages, when the area turned into a swamp