Eclogite-blueschist-facies rocks from spouthern Sifnos, Cyclades, Greece

Vorkommen von Hochdruck/Niedrigtemperatur eklogit/blauschieferfaziellen Gesteinen im Südwesten von Sifnos in den Kykladen sind in der geologischen Karte von Davis (1966) verzeichnet, aber es wurden bisher keine Informationen über ihre Geochemie, Petrologie und strukturelle Position publiziert. Diese Vorkommen in der Bucht Fikiada sind das Thema dieser Studie. Die tektono-metamorphe Entwicklung von Sifnos wird dominiert von einer regionalen Hochdruck (HP)- Metamorphose während des Eozäns, die in der Kykladischen Blauschiefer Einheit klassischerweise als (M1) bezeichnet wird. In Folge wurden die vier Haupteinheiten von Sifnos unterschiedlich stark von retrograden partiellen Gleichgewichts-Einstellungen während der Exhumation und/oder der Oligo-Miozänen Metamorphose (M2) bei mittlerem Druck überprägt. Die untersuchten Gesteine der Fikiada Bucht entstanden während M1, wurden aber von einem spröd-duktilen M2-Deformationsereignis überprägt. Die HP-Gesteinseinheit der Fikiada Bucht stellt eine Sequenz aus metamorphen basischen und sauren Vulkaniten und Sedimenten dar. Diese werden in Bezug auf ihre mineralische Zusammensetzung, Mineralchemie und Petrographie untersucht und mit ähnlichen Vorkommen in Nord-Sifnos verglichen, die von einigen Autoren detailliert beschrieben wurden. Lithologien umfassen wechsellagernde granatreiche dunkle Blauschiefer und Granatgneise, eingelagerte Eklogite, massive Ep-Ab-Chl-Felse sowie Ab ± Karbonat- reiche Metasedimente. Diese Lithologien sind eingelagert in hoch deformierten kalzitischen Marmoren mit boudinierten Linsen von Dolomit. Die üblicherweise beobachtete Streckungslineation streicht NO-SW und erhält einen konsistenten Schersinn nach NO. Fünf Episoden von Mineralwachstum und/oder Deformation während der dominanten M2-Metamorphose können im Arbeitsgebiet unterschieden werden. Diese werden mit der metamorphen Geschichte von Nord-Sifnos und anderen Kykladischen Inseln verglichen und korreliert. Eine grünschieferfazielle Überprägung ist auf lokale Scherzonen beschränkt. Die HP-Gesteinseinheit wird von spröd duktilen bis spröden extensionellen Strukturen überprägt. Ein System aus konjugierten steilen, spröden Abschiebungen die ungefähr NW-SO streichen, interagiert mit flachen spröd-duktilen Scherzonen und zeigt NO-SW-Extension an. SCC’-Gefüge und synthetische Riedelscherzonen zeigen einen SW-gerichteten Schersinn, konsistent mit dem S-gerichteten M2-Ereignis in den westlichen Kykladen. Alle Strukturen sind von jüngeren, mehrere Meter mächtigen kataklastischen Seitenverschiebungen zerschnitten, die mit proto- bis ultrakataklastischen Störungskernzonen assoziiert sind. Diese Kernzonen und pervasiv zerklüftete „prozesses zones“ sind mit der Dolomitisierung des ursprünglichen mylonitischen Kalzitmarmors assoziiert. Spätere vulkanische Gänge mit einer Mächtigkeit < 30 cm sind in diese spröden Störungszonen intrudiert.Occurrences of high-pressure/low-temperature eclogite/blueshist facies rocks in the south-west of Sifnos (Cyclades) are marked in the geological map by Davis (1966), but no information has been published concerning their geochemistry, petrology and structural position. These occurrences at the Fikiada Bay are the focus of this study. The tectono-metamorphic evolution on Sifnos is dominated by regional high-pressure (HP) metamorphism during the Eocene, classically named (M1) in the Cycladic Blueschist Unit. Subsequently, the four major units of Sifnos were differently affected by retrograde equilibrations during the exhumation and/or the Oligo–Miocene medium pressure overprint (M2). The investigated rocks from the Fikiada Bay area formed during M1 but were overprinted by a brittle / ductile M2 event. The HP rock assemblage of Fikiada bay represents a sequence of metamotphic basitic and acidic volcanites and sediments. They have been investigated in terms of their mineral assemblages, mineral chemistry and petrography and are compared to similar occurrences from the north of Sifnos, which have been described in detail by several authors. Lithologies comprise alternating garnet- rich, dark blueschists and Grt-gneisses, interbedded eclogites, massive Ep-Ab-Chl-fels and albite- ± carbonate- rich metasediments. These lithologies are embedded in highly strained calcite marbles with boudinaged lenses of dolomites. The commonly observed stretching lineation strikes NE-SW and records a consistent shear sense towards NE. Five episodes of mineral growth and/or deformation during the dominant HP-metamorphism can be distinguished in the studied area. These are compared to and correlated with the metamorphic history of northern Sifnos and other Cycladic islands. A greenschist-facies overprint is confined to local shear zones. The HP rock assemblage is overprinted by brittle / ductile to brittle extensional structures. A system of conjugate high-angle brittle normal faults striking roughly NW-SE which interact with low-angle, brittle / ductile shear zones indicate NE-SW extension. SCC’-type foliation and synthetic Riedel shear zones indicate a SW-directed shear sense consistent with the S-directed M2 event in the Western Cyclades. All structures are cut by younger, several meters thick cataclastic strike- slip- fault zones associated with proto- to ultracataclastic fault core zones. The fault cores and the pervasively jointed processes zones are associated with dolomitization of the originally mylonitic calcite marbles. Late volcanic dykes with a thickness of less than 30 cm intruded into these brittle fault zones

Building information modelling based ground modelling for tunnel projects – Tunnel Angath/Austria

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Psychological treatments for adults with posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Numerous guidelines have been developed over the past decade regarding treatments for Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, given differences in guideline recommendations, some uncertainty exists regarding the selection of effective PTSD therapies. The current manuscript assessed the efficacy, comparative effectiveness, and adverse effects of psychological treatments for adults with PTSD. We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PILOTS, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and the Web of Science. Two reviewers independently selected trials. Two reviewers assessed risk of bias and graded strength of evidence (SOE). We included 64 trials; patients generally had severe PTSD. Evidence supports efficacy of exposure therapy (high SOE) including the manualized version Prolonged Exposure (PE); cognitive therapy (CT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-mixed therapies (moderate SOE); eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and narrative exposure therapy (low-moderate SOE). Effect sizes for reducing PTSD symptoms were large (e.g., Cohen's d ~-1.0 or more compared with controls). Numbers needed to treat (NNTs) were <4 to achieve loss of PTSD diagnosis for exposure therapy, CPT, CT, CBT-mixed, and EMDR. Several psychological treatments are effective for adults with PTSD. Head-to-head evidence was insufficient to determine these treatments' comparative effectiveness, and data regarding adverse events was absent from most studies

Advances in the role of sacral nerve neuromodulation in lower urinary tract symptoms

Sacral neuromodulation has been developed to treat chronic lower urinary tract symptoms, resistant to classical conservative therapy. The suspected mechanisms of action include afferent stimulation of the central nervous system and modulation of activity at the level of the brain. Typical neuromodulation is indicated both in overactivity and in underactivity of the lower urinary tract. In the majority of patients, a unilateral electrode in a sacral foramen and connected to a pulse generator is sufficient to achieve significant clinical results also on long term. In recent years, other urological indications have been explored

A module-based analytical strategy to identify novel disease-associated genes shows an inhibitory role for interleukin 7 Receptor in allergic inflammation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The identification of novel genes by high-throughput studies of complex diseases is complicated by the large number of potential genes. However, since disease-associated genes tend to interact, one solution is to arrange them in modules based on co-expression data and known gene interactions. The hypothesis of this study was that such a module could be a) found and validated in allergic disease and b) used to find and validate one ore more novel disease-associated genes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To test these hypotheses integrated analysis of a large number of gene expression microarray experiments from different forms of allergy was performed. This led to the identification of an experimentally validated reference gene that was used to construct a module of co-expressed and interacting genes. This module was validated in an independent material, by replicating the expression changes in allergen-challenged CD4⁺cells. Moreover, the changes were reversed following treatment with corticosteroids. The module contained several novel disease-associated genes, of which the one with the highest number of interactions with known disease genes, <it>IL7R</it>, was selected for further validation. The expression levels of <it>IL7R </it>in allergen challenged CD4⁺cells decreased following challenge but increased after treatment. This suggested an inhibitory role, which was confirmed by functional studies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We propose that a module-based analytical strategy is generally applicable to find novel genes in complex diseases.</p

Effectiveness of post-fire soil erosion mitigation treatments: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Wildfires are known to be one of the main causes of soil erosion and land degradation, and their impacts on ecosystems and society are expected to increase in the future due to changes in climate and land use. It is therefore vital to mitigate the increased hydrological and erosive response after wildfires to maintain the sustainability of ecosystems and protect the values at risk downstream from the fire-affected areas. Soil erosion mitigation treatments have been widely applied after wildfires but assessment of their effectiveness has been limited to local and regional-scale studies, whose conclusions may depend heavily on site-specific conditions. To overcome this limitation, a meta-analysis approach was applied to investigations of post-wildfire soil erosion mitigation treatments published in peer-reviewed journals. A meta-analysis database was compiled that consisted of 53 and 222 pairs of treated/untreated observations on post-fire runoff and erosion, respectively, extracted from 34 publications indexed in Scopus. The overall effectiveness of mitigation treatments, expressed as the quantitative metric ‘effect size’, was determined for both the runoff and erosion observations, and further analyzed for four different types of treatments (cover-based, barriers, seeding, and chemical treatments). The erosion observations involving cover-based treatments were analyzed for differences in effectiveness between 3 different types of mulch materials (straw, wood-based, and hydromulch) as well as between different application rates of straw and wood materials. Finally, the erosion observations were also analyzed for the overall effectiveness of post-fire year, burn severity, rainfall amount and erosivity, and ground cover. The meta-analysis results show that all four types of treatments significantly reduced post-fire soil erosion, but that only the cover and barrier treatments significantly reduced post-fire runoff. From the three different cover treatments, straw and wood mulches were significantly more effective in mitigating erosion than hydromulch. In addition, the effectiveness of both straw and wood mulches depended on their application rates. Straw mulching was less effective at rates below than above 200 g m−2, while mulching with wood materials at high rates (1300 to 1750 g m−2) produced more variable outcomes than lower rates. Results also suggest that the overall effectiveness of the treatments was greatest shortly after fire, in severely burned sites, providing or promoting the development of ground cover over 70%, and that it increased with increasing rainfall erosivity. It can be concluded that, in overall terms, the application of the studied post-fire erosion mitigation treatments represented a better choice than doing nothing, especially in sites where erosion is high. However, the meta-analysis highlights under-representation of studies on this topic outside of the USA, Spain and Portugal. It was also observed that most of the studies were conducted at hillslope scale and tested mulching (namely straw, wood and hydromulch) and/or barriers, while larger scales and other treatments were scarcely addressed. Further efforts need to be made in testing, from field and modeling studies, combinations of existing and/or emerging erosion mitigation treatments to ensure that the most adequate measures are applied after fires.publishe

Decreasing incidence of peptic ulcer complications after the introduction of the proton pump inhibitors, a study of the Swedish population from 1974–2002

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite a decreasing incidence of peptic ulcer disease, most previous studies report a stabile incidence of ulcer complications. We wanted to investigate the incidence of peptic ulcer complications in Sweden before and after the introduction of the proton pump inhibitors (PPI) in 1988 and compare these data to the sales of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All cases of gastric and duodenal ulcer complications diagnosed in Sweden from 1974 to 2002 were identified using the National hospital discharge register. Information on sales of ASA/NSAID was obtained from the National prescription survey.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>When comparing the time-periods before and after 1988 we found a significantly lower incidence of peptic ulcer complications during the later period for both sexes (p < 0.001). Incidence rates varied from 1.5 to 7.8/100000 inhabitants/year regarding perforated peptic ulcers and from 5.2 to 40.2 regarding peptic ulcer bleeding. The number of sold daily dosages of prescribed NSAID/ASA tripled from 1975 to 2002. The number of prescribed sales to women was higher than to males. Sales of low-dose ASA also increased. The total volume of NSAID and ASA, i.e. over the counter sale and sold on prescription, increased by 28% during the same period.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>When comparing the periods before and after the introduction of the proton pump inhibitors we found a significant decrease in the incidence of peptic ulcer complications in the Swedish population after 1988 when PPI were introduced on the market. The cause of this decrease is most likely multifactorial, including smoking habits, NSAID consumption, prevalence of Helicobacter pylori and the introduction of PPI. Sales of prescribed NSAID/ASA increased, especially in middle-aged and elderly women. This fact seems to have had little effect on the incidence of peptic ulcer complications.</p

Effects of alirocumab on types of myocardial infarction: insights from the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial

Aims  The third Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (MI) Task Force classified MIs into five types: Type 1, spontaneous; Type 2, related to oxygen supply/demand imbalance; Type 3, fatal without ascertainment of cardiac biomarkers; Type 4, related to percutaneous coronary intervention; and Type 5, related to coronary artery bypass surgery. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction with statins and proprotein convertase subtilisin–kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors reduces risk of MI, but less is known about effects on types of MI. ODYSSEY OUTCOMES compared the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab with placebo in 18 924 patients with recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and elevated LDL-C (≥1.8 mmol/L) despite intensive statin therapy. In a pre-specified analysis, we assessed the effects of alirocumab on types of MI. Methods and results  Median follow-up was 2.8 years. Myocardial infarction types were prospectively adjudicated and classified. Of 1860 total MIs, 1223 (65.8%) were adjudicated as Type 1, 386 (20.8%) as Type 2, and 244 (13.1%) as Type 4. Few events were Type 3 (n = 2) or Type 5 (n = 5). Alirocumab reduced first MIs [hazard ratio (HR) 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77–0.95; P = 0.003], with reductions in both Type 1 (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.77–0.99; P = 0.032) and Type 2 (0.77, 0.61–0.97; P = 0.025), but not Type 4 MI. Conclusion  After ACS, alirocumab added to intensive statin therapy favourably impacted on Type 1 and 2 MIs. The data indicate for the first time that a lipid-lowering therapy can attenuate the risk of Type 2 MI. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction below levels achievable with statins is an effective preventive strategy for both MI types.For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehz299</p