Bank pull or bar push: what drives scroll-bar formation in meandering river?

One of the most striking features of meandering rivers are quasi-regular ridges of the point bar, evidence of a pulsed lateral migration of meander bends. Scroll bars formed on the inner bend are preserved on the point-bar surface as a series of ridges as meanders migrate, and in the subsurface of the point bar as inclined heterolithic stratification with lateral accretion surfaces. It is necessary to understand the formation and sedimentary architecture of these point bars, which are fundamental geomorphic building blocks of meandering rivers and potential reservoirs for water, oil, and gas. However, it remains unresolved whether the scroll-bar pattern forms in response to outer bend bank erosion during floods (i.e., bank pull), or is forced by bank progradation (i.e., bar push). Here we use experimentally formed meandering rivers with a set of static and migrating bends to isolate the effects of sediment supply to the point bar, bank protection, and forced bank retreat. We find that channel widening caused by bank retreat near the bend apex causes deposition of new scroll ridges along the inner bend point bar, whereas scroll bars cannot be forced by sediment pulses. Thus channel width variations along meander bends cause bank pull, which is necessary for scroll-bar formation. Furthermore, we find that each newly attached scroll bar overlies a nonpermeable layer of finer-grained sediment caused by the temporary flow expansion, which explains the fining-upward tendency of point bars

Hogere AOW-leeftijd stimuleert doorwerken van jongere partner

Hervorming Sociale Regelgevin

Multiwavelength studies of MHD waves in the solar chromosphere: An overview of recent results

The chromosphere is a thin layer of the solar atmosphere that bridges the relatively cool photosphere and the intensely heated transition region and corona. Compressible and incompressible waves propagating through the chromosphere can supply significant amounts of energy to the interface region and corona. In recent years an abundance of high-resolution observations from state-of-the-art facilities have provided new and exciting ways of disentangling the characteristics of oscillatory phenomena propagating through the dynamic chromosphere. Coupled with rapid advancements in magnetohydrodynamic wave theory, we are now in an ideal position to thoroughly investigate the role waves play in supplying energy to sustain chromospheric and coronal heating. Here, we review the recent progress made in characterising, categorising and interpreting oscillations manifesting in the solar chromosphere, with an impetus placed on their intrinsic energetics.Comment: 48 pages, 25 figures, accepted into Space Science Review

Unraveling interindividual variation of trimethylamine N-oxide and its precursors at the population level

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a circulating microbiome-derived metabolite implicated in the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We investigated whether plasma levels of TMAO, its precursors (betaine, carnitine, deoxycarnitine, choline), and TMAO-to-precursor ratios are associated with clinical outcomes, including CVD and mortality. This was followed by an in-depth analysis of their genetic, gut microbial, and dietary determinants. The analyses were conducted in five Dutch prospective cohort studies including 7834 individuals. To further investigate association results, Mendelian Randomization (MR) was also explored. We found only plasma choline levels (hazard ratio [HR] 1.17, [95% CI 1.07; 1.28]) and not TMAO to be associated with CVD risk. Our association analyses uncovered 10 genome-wide significant loci, including novel genomic regions for betaine (6p21.1, 6q25.3), choline (2q34, 5q31.1), and deoxycarnitine (10q21.2, 11p14.2) comprising several metabolic gene associations, for example, CPS1 or PEMT. Furthermore, our analyses uncovered 68 gut microbiota associations, mainly related to TMAO-to-precursors ratios and the Ruminococcaceae family, and 16 associations of food groups and metabolites including fish-TMAO, meat-carnitine, and plant-based food-betaine associations. No significant association was identified by the MR approach. Our analyses provide novel insights into the TMAO pathway, its determinants, and pathophysiological impact on the general population.Molecular Epidemiolog

Single-shot Ad26 vaccine protects against SARS-CoV-2 in rhesus macaques

A safe and effective vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may be required to end the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic1–8. For global deployment and pandemic control, a vaccine that requires only a single immunization would be optimal. Here we show the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a single dose of adenovirus serotype 26 (Ad26) vector-based vaccines expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein in non-human primates. Fifty-two rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) were immunized with Ad26 vectors that encoded S variants or sham control, and then challenged with SARS-CoV-2 by the intranasal and intratracheal routes9,10. The optimal Ad26 vaccine induced robust neutralizing antibody responses and provided complete or near-complete protection in bronchoalveolar lavage and nasal swabs after SARS-CoV-2 challenge. Titres of vaccine-elicited neutralizing antibodies correlated with protective efficacy, suggesting an immune correlate of protection. These data demonstrate robust single-shot vaccine protection against SARS-CoV-2 in non-human primates. The optimal Ad26 vector-based vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, termed Ad26.COV2.S, is currently being evaluated in clinical trials

Geologic data on atmospheric history

Attention is focussed on the possible existence of an anoxygenic, primeval atmosphere and on the history of atmospheric O2 and CO2. For this purpose, geologic data can be divided into those on fossil remains, on biogenic deposits formed by early life, on “chemicofossils”, and on deposits formed by exogenic geologic processes. Only the latter, mainly through the processes of weathering and sedimentation, give any indication of the nature of the contemporaneous atmosphere. A tentative schematic diagram of the history of atmospheric O2 and CO2 is presented in Fig. 1

The Eruptions of hekla in 1947–1948 1. The Eruptions of hekla in Historical Times : S. Thorarinsson. Vísindafélag Islendinga, Reykjavík, 1967, 183 pp., 27 illus., 11 tables, U.S. $5.80

Whilst it can be said that the other volumes on the 1947-1948 eruption form a standard of description for a major volcanic eruption, the present volume sets a high standard for the historic description of a volcano’s former eruptions

Iceland and mid-ocean ridges : S. Björnsson (editor). Vísindafélag Islendinga, Reykjavik, 1967, 209 pp., 65 illus., U.S. $8.50

Although the quality of the papers is high and the insights obtained are rewarding and modern, I should have still preferred the inclusion of some more factual data. For instance, in Gudmundur Sigwaldason’s paper on the chemistry of basalts, the 43 analyses known are promised, but not produced. In Kristjan Seamundsson’s paper on southwestern Iceland the map lists a number of central volcanoes, and even from a glance at the topographical map one wonders what exactly is considered to be a central volcano by the author, and what is not. Whereas on his map of Iceland, a belt of Early Quaternary volcanics runs north into the peninsula between Hdnafjordur and Skagafjordur, for which no evidence at all is presented. But, aside from these criticisms, the book gives us a remarkably good insight into the state of the art of earth sciences in Iceland, and promises that many more results will follow in the future