Biogeochemistry of carbonate mounds from the Pen Duick escarpment in the Gulf of Cadiz

In the Gulf of Cadiz, carbonate mounds build by cold-water corals were recently discovered on the Renard Ridge, a zone of active fluid flow and mud volcanism. Their sizes vary from 25 to more than 60 m high, at a depth of 520 m and they are aligned along the ridge axis. These mounds, located in the close vicinity of fluid flow markers such as carbonate crusts and mud volcanoes, provided a novel opportunity to study a possible fluid flow control on the mound processes and distribution. Previous geochemical studies on the southernmost mound of the ridge indeed showed that this mound was located on focused fluid flow compared to surrounding sediments, and we observed typical profiles of methane migration and anoxic oxidation (AOM) at 3,8 m below the sea floor within the mound. Such AOM occurrence imprinted a characteristic d13C signature (down to –21,9 %¸ Vs. PDB) and significantly contributes to the overall carbonate budget of the mound.During the recent R/V Maria S. Merian cruise (April-June 2006), we sampled by mean of a gravity corer six new structures likely to be cold-water carbonate mounds, along the Pen Duick escarpment and the Renard Ridge. Our aim was to determine if the geochemical profiles observed in the first mound could be generalized to all the mounds in this area.Each core yielded a full sequence of cold-water corals down to about 5 meters below the sea floor. Hence, the numerous knoll-like structures revealed by high-resolution bathymetry along the ridge are indeed carbonate mounds build by cold-water corals and the entire Ridge has been massively colonized by corals. No live reef-forming coral could be recovered from the cores, nor observed by towed video instruments. Then, fluid migration seems to be a common feature all along the ridge. However, important discrepancies were observed: methane concentrations are higher and sulfate gradients steeper on both side of the ridge, whereas the central part of the ridge seems less active in term of fluid migration. In this case, the sulfate to methane transition zone could not be reached using conventional gravity corer. In order to obtain the full biogeochemical picture of these mounds, the use of a long piston corer, or drilling devices, will be required.The reasons of the formation of massive reefs in this area are still unknown and are probably linked to locally enhanced hydrologic conditions. However, it is possible that cold-water coral could have benefited from the hard substrate and the topographic elevations provided by fluid related structures such as carbonate crusts, chimneys and clasts, as observed in several other locations in the Gulf of Cadiz

Influence of steep Trendelenburg position and CO2 pneumoperitoneum on cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory homeostasis during robotic prostatectomy

The steep (40 degrees) Trendelenburg position optimizes surgical exposure during robotic prostatectomy. The goal of the current study was to investigate the combined effect of this position and CO2 pneumoperitoneum on cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory homeostasis during these procedures. Physiological data were recorded during the whole surgical procedure in 31 consecutive patients who underwent robotic endoscopic radical prostatectomy under general anaesthesia. Heart rate, mean arterial pressure, central venous pressure, Sp(o2), Pe'(co2), P-Plat, tidal volume, compliance, and minute ventilation were monitored and recorded. Arterial samples were obtained to determine the arterial-to-end-tidal CO2 tension gradient. Continuous regional cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (Sct(o2)) was determined by near-infrared spectroscopy. Although patients were in the Trendelenburg position, all variables investigated remained within a clinically acceptable range. Cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) decreased from 77 mm Hg at baseline to 71 mm Hg (P=0.07), and Sct(o2) increased from 70% to 73% (P < 0.001). Pe'(co2) increased from 4.12 to 4.79 kPa (P < 0.001) and the arterial-to-Pe'(co2) tension difference increased from 1.06 kPa in the normal position to a maximum of 1.41 kPa (P < 0.001) after 2 h in the Trendelenburg position. The combination of the prolonged steep Trendelenburg position and CO2 pneumoperitoneum was well tolerated. Haemodynamic and pulmonary variables remained within safe limits. Regional cerebral oxygenation was well preserved and CPP remained within the limits between which cerebral blood flow is usually considered to be maintained by cerebral autoregulation

Externally driven subsurface fluid pumping and consequences

Thibodeaux & Boyle (1987) showed by analog modeling that convective transport in sediments can be generated by the presence of bedforms (e.g. sand ripples). This process is known to be of great importance for the biogeochemistry of the subsurface realm in many settings (e.g. rivers, shelf sediments,...).A multiphysics model was developed to numerically explore this process in deep-sea environments. The model integrates a stream over different seafloor obstacles, pressure effects at the sediment surface and the there from resulting subsurface fluid flow. Additionally, the geochemical consequences in settings where anaerobic methane oxidation is an important process, are simulated through a simple second order kinetics model.Through this model, we simulated two submarine settings: deep-sea carbonate mounds and seafloor pockmarks. The model is further evaluated by comparing natural examples of these features with the model results

Mask Induced Polarization Effects at High NA

It is important to understand how a photomask will polarize incident radiation. This paper presents data collected on binary mask and various attenuated phase shifting mask materials, feature sizes, duty ratios, and illumination schemes via rigorous coupled wave analysis, extinction spectroscopy, and 193nm lithographic evaluation. Additionally, the result of polarization effects due to the photomask on imaging has been studied. It was found that in the majority of the cases, higher NA led to greater polarization effects. All mask materials predominantly pass the TM polarization state for the 0 order, whereas different materials and duty ratios affect the polarization of the first diffracted orders differently. The polarization effects contributed by mask materials being considered for use in high NA imaging systems need to be examined. The degree of polarization as a function of n and k is presented, providing an introduction to the desirable properties of future mask materials. Materials with higher refractive indices and lower extinction coefficients tend to pass more of the TM polarization state, which is undesirable. Materials with lower indices and relatively wide range of extinction coefficients pass more TE polarized radiation. The duty ratio, critical dimension, mask material, material thickness, and illumination scheme all influence mask induced polarization effects

Biogeochemical evidence for anoxic oxidation of methane occurrences in the juvenile carbonate mounds from the Gulf of Cadiz

Carbonate mounds are conspicuous features of the European margins. Only fossil examples of these mounds were known when modern giant carbonate mounds were discovered in the S.-W. Irish margin. A decade of thorough studies in this area provided remarkable insight on mound processes and distribution. However, the question of the genesis and stabilization over geological times of these carbonate mounds remain wide open.Our work hypothesis is that moderate fluxes of low molecular hydrocarbons are oxidized and produces carbonates that may serve as cement for the mound stabilization. The recent discovery and mapping (R/V Belgica 2003, 2005) of the Pen Duick escarpment on the Moroccan margin (Gulf of Cadiz) by swath bathymetry shed light on new carbonate mounds associated with fluid migration markers such as pockmarks, carbonate crusts and mud volcanoes. Pore water biogeochemical profiles show that the sulphate to methane transition zone occurs at 3.5 meters below the sea floor within the mound, whereas the depth of no sulphate is much deeper in the surrounding sediments. At the same depth, carbonates are released with d13C values as low as -21 permil indicating a methane and possibly other light hydrocarbons origin. Hence anoxic oxidation of hydrocarbons, and subsequent carbonate production, may play a key role in the mound formation and/or stabilization. Interestingly, Lophelia coral rubbles were present all along the sediment column suggesting that this mound is a potential habitat for cold coral and associated communities

Deaths involving COVID-19 by self-reported disability status during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in England: a retrospective, population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: People with learning disabilities are at substantially increased risk of COVID-19 mortality, but evidence on risks of COVID-19 mortality for disabled people more generally is limited. We aimed to use population-level data to estimate the association between self-reported disability and death involving COVID-19 during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in England. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, population-based cohort study of adults aged 30-100 years living in private households or communal establishments in England, using data from the Office for National Statistics Public Health Data Asset. Participants were present at the 2011 Census and alive on Jan 24, 2020. Participants reported being limited a lot in their daily activities, limited a little, or not limited at all, in response to a question from the 2011 Census. The outcome was death involving COVID-19, occurring between Jan 24, 2020, and Feb 28, 2021. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for the association between disability and death involving COVID-19, sequentially adjusting for age, residence type (private household, care home, or other communal establishment), geographical characteristics (local authority district and population density), sociodemographic characteristics (ethnicity, highest qualification, Index of Multiple Deprivation decile, household characteristics [National Statistics Socio-economic Classification of the household reference person, tenure of household, household size, family status, household composition, and key worker in household], key worker type, individual and household exposure to disease, and individual and household proximity to others), and health status (pre-existing health conditions, body-mass index, and number of admissions to hospital and days spent in hospital over the previous 3 years). FINDINGS: 29 293 845 adults were included in the study (13 806 623 [47%] men, 15 487 222 [53%] women), of whom 3 038 772 (10%) reported being limited a little and 2 011 576 (7%) reported being limited a lot. During follow-up, 105 213 people died from causes involving COVID-19 in England, 61 416 (58%) of whom were disabled. Age-adjusted analyses showed higher mortality involving COVID-19 among disabled people who were limited a lot (HR 3·05 [95% CI 2·98-3·11] for men; 3·48 [3·41-3·56] for women) and disabled people who were limited a little (HR 1·88 [1·84-1·92] for men; 2·03 [1·98-2·08] for women) than among non-disabled people. Adjustment for residence type, geography, sociodemographics, and health conditions reduced but did not eliminate the associations between disability and death involving COVID-19 (HR 1·35 [1·32-1·38] for men who were limited a lot; 1·21 [1·18-1·23] for men who were limited a little; 1·55 [1·51-1·59] for women who were limited a lot; and 1·28 [1·25-1·31] for women who were limited a little). INTERPRETATION: Given the association between disability and mortality involving COVID-19, verification of these findings and consideration of recommendations for protective measures are now required. FUNDING: None

Perinatal mortality in Ireland. Annual report 2014.

‌Perinatal mortality refers to the death of babies in the weeks before or after birth. Perinatal mortality includes stillbirths (babies born with no signs of life after 24 weeks of pregnancy or weighing at least 500 grams) and the deaths of babies within 28 days of being born. Perinatal mortality is an important indicator of the quality of obstetric and neonatal care. Measurement of the outcome of care is central to the development of safe and high quality healthcare services. In recent years, the National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre (NPEC) has worked with colleagues in developing an in-depth clinical audit of perinatal mortality. Smoking and substance use - page 2

Relationship Between the Expression of O-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase (MGMT) and p53, and the Clinical Response in Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Treated with FOLFIRINOX

BACKGROUND: To date, no predictive biomarker for the efficacy of FOLFIRINOX in metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma has been demonstrated. Deficiency in O-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) has been associated with a therapeutic response in endocrine tumors of the pancreas and the lack of expression of protein 53 (p53) could interfere with the action of MGMT. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of MGMT and p53 in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated with FOLFIRINOX as a first-line treatment and to investigate their association with therapeutic response and survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The immunohistochemical expression of MGMT was recorded as present or absent and the expression of p53 was semi-quantitatively scored in 30 patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, at Angers Hospital in France between September 2011 and June 2015. Clinical and radiologic data were collected retrospectively. RESULTS: The presence or absence of MGMT expression entailed no significant differences in response rate. Median values of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were lower in patients with MGMT expression, but sample size is too small to conclude that there is a statistically significant difference. No significant relationship for response rate and PFS was observed in relation with p53 expression. By contrast, patients with a strong tumor expression of p53 had a significantly lower OS compared to patients with no or weak expression of the protein (p = 0.027). There was a positive correlation between the expression of p53 and MGMT (p = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary findings suggest that for patients treated with FOLFIRINOX as a first-line treatment for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the immunohistochemical evaluation of MGMT could not predict the clinical outcome; however, the survival was not significant probably because of the under-powered study (due to small sample size). A strong tumor expression of p53 is associated with a poor prognosis of OS

Geosciences Roadmap for Research Infrastructures 2025–2028 by the Swiss Geosciences Community

This community roadmap presents an integrative approach including the most urgent infrastructure requests for the future development of geosciences in Switzerland. It recommends to strengthen the multidisciplinary nature of the geosciences by putting all activities under the roof of the Integrated Swiss Geosciences supported by four specific research infrastructure pillars. The roadmap represents the view of the Swiss scientific community in the field of geosciences and is a formal element of the process to elaborate the Swiss Roadmap for Research Infrastructures 2023. This bottom-up contribution to the identification and selection of important national and international research infrastructures has been coordinated by the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) on a mandate by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).ISSN:2297-1564ISSN:2297-157