Investigation of the molecular and isotopic response to deposition, thermal maturity, hydrocarbon generation, and expulsion : A multidisciplinary approach based on the Cenozoic sequences on Svalbard

Understanding the generation, expulsion and migration of hydrocarbons and the associated effects on the molecular composition of generated products plays a major role in petroleum system analyses. The presented PhD study is based on a research well from the Central Tertiary Basin of Svalbard which has not been investigated in detail previously. The core material from this well is of exceptional quality. A comprehensive depositional reconstruction of the lithologies of the research well has been established by combining inorganic and organic geochemistry. Shedding a light on the effects of sulphate reduction on the preserved organic matter quality supported a better understanding of the depositional settings and natural quality limitations on the present-day organic matter concentration. The effects of thermal maturity on the organic matter and on selected biomarker compounds as well as on molecular maturity proxies has been investigated. The implementation of multivariate statistics has led to the creation of a novel unitless biomarker maturity trend. Molecular fractionation effects associated with the expulsion and migration of hydrocarbons have been investigated. The findings show that polar compounds and asphaltenes were preferentially retained in the organic rich layers of the lower Frysjaodden Fm. On the other hand, the expelled hydrocarbons have migrated upwards and mainly consist of saturated compounds of low polarity. The development of an advanced maturity-based back calculation approach made it possible to calculate the amounts of hydrocarbons that have been generated, expelled and migrated with respect to their initial organic matter quality and quantity. In addition to the geoscientific investigations, two analytical methodologies have been developed in the course of this PhD project. The first methodology involves the multiple detector coupling to a single gas chromatograph in order to enhance the data density per injection and significantly reduce the sample preparation work for organic geochemical analyses. The second method is used to monitor the isotopic composition of the Rock Eval S1 and S2 parameters in an online analysis. This analytical setup was described for the first time. The results support a better understanding of isotopic fractionation effects introduced by thermal maturation and hydrocarbon generation and expulsion. The results from these analyses have also been used to confirm the impact of sulphate reduction on the reactive organic matter proportion in the Paleocene Eocene transition of the investigated well

Challenges in understanding Sjögren's syndrome - improved insights into the pathogenesis generate hope for innovative therapies?

The reviews in this series on Sjögren syndrome provide an up-to-date summary and perspectives on the pathogenesis of this interesting entity with glandular and frequently systemic manifestations, the value of preclinical models, and our current understanding of therapeutic approaches. The last of these includes what has been learned from trials blocking tumor necrosis factor and, more recently, anti-CD20 therapy. Potential therapeutic targets, such as blockade of the B cell-activating factor, the role of interferon-alpha, and targeting CD22, are discussed

Reporte: 4 casos de Mal seco equino en el sector de Las Vizcachas, Región Metropolitana, Chile

El Mal seco (Disautonomía equina) es una enfermedad de los equinos que se presenta con alta mortalidad y que hasta la fecha no se ha identificado completamente. Este artículo describe la presentación de un brote de Mal seco equino en un sector de la Región Metropolitana en donde no sido descrito hasta la fecha según lo investigado en la literatura. Se presenta la signología clínica de 4 casos, los métodos diagnósticos y tratamientos disponibles en nuestro medio bajo condiciones de campo. Se hace hincapié en que los casos de Mal seco pueden estar siendo subestimados en la Región Metropolitana. Finalmente, es importante para los veterinarios que se desempeñan en condiciones de campo, considerar esta patología como diagnóstico diferencial para los casos de inapetencia y pérdida de peso y/o los cuadros de cólico que cursan con impactación de colon, atonía intestinal, sudoración en parches, hipersalivación, disfagia y/o reflujo gástrico espontáneo

Laser-induced nonsequential double ionization at and above the recollision-excitation-tunneling threshold

We perform a detailed analysis of the recollision-excitation-tunneling (RESI) mechanism in laser-induced nonsequential double ionization (NSDI), in which the first electron, upon return, promotes a second electron to an excited state, from which it subsequently tunnels, based on the strong-field approximation. We show that the shapes of the electron momentum distributions carry information about the bound-state with which the first electron collides, the bound state to which the second electron is excited, and the type of electron-electron interaction. Furthermore, one may define a driving-field intensity threshold for the RESI physical mechanism. At the threshold, the kinetic energy of the first electron, upon return, is just sufficient to excite the second electron. We compute the distributions for helium and argon in the threshold and above-threshold intensity regime. In the latter case, we relate our findings to existing experiments. The electron-momentum distributions encountered are symmetric with respect to all quadrants of the plane spanned by the momentum components parallel to the laser-field polarization, instead of concentrating on only the second and fourth quadrants.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure

The Product Developer in the Centre of Product Development: A Systematic Literature Review on Describing Factors

In the uncertain process of product development, the developer is decisively responsible for product success. He operates in a complex environment that directly influences his synthesis and analysis activities. The context of the socio-technical system of product development has already been extensively researched and defined by a large number of factors. However, the developer is described as part of the context and not as the centre, which means that many of these factors have no interaction with the developer. For the design of methods and tools that support the developer in his activities in the development process, a summarizing understanding of the influences on and by the developer is necessary. In order to create a unified understanding of the developer at the centre of product development, a Systematic Literature Review was conducted. In this article, the procedure and findings are presented. The aim was to identify factors from the literature that significantly influence the interaction of the developer in his environment. As a result, these were documented in a model, which represents the basis for further, human-centred research in the context of product development