Search

Galaxy clusters provide an excellent probe in various research fields in astrophysics and cosmology. However, the number of galaxy clusters detected so far in the $AKARI$ North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) field is limited. In this work, we provide galaxy cluster candidates in the $AKARI$ NEP field with the minimum requisites based only on coordinates and photometric redshift (photo-$z$) of galaxies. We used galaxies detected in 5 optical bands ($g$, $r$, $i$, $z$, and $Y$) by the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC), assisted with $u$-band from Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) MegaPrime/MegaCam, and IRAC1 and IRAC2 bands from the $Spitzer$ space telescope for photo-$z$ estimation. We calculated the local density around every galaxy using the 10$^{th}$-nearest neighbourhood. Cluster candidates were determined by applying the friends-of-friends algorithm to over-densities. 88 cluster candidates containing 4390 member galaxies below redshift 1.1 in 5.4 deg$^2$ have been detected. The reliability of our method was examined through false detection tests, redshift uncertainty tests, and applications on the COSMOS data, giving false detection rates of 0.01 to 0.05 and recovery rate of 0.9 at high richness. 3 X-ray clusters previously observed by $ROSAT$ and $Chandra$ were recovered. The cluster galaxies show higher stellar mass and lower star formation rate (SFR) compared to the field galaxies in two-sample Z-tests. These cluster candidates are useful for environmental studies of galaxy evolution and future astronomical surveys in the NEP, where $AKARI$ has performed unique 9-band mid-infrared photometry for tens of thousands of galaxies., Comment: 19 pages, 16 figures, has been accepted for publication in MNRAS

Methane is produced microbially in vast quantities in sediments throughout the world’s oceans. However, anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) provides a near-quantitative sink for the produced methane and is primarily responsible for preventing methane emissions from the oceans to the atmosphere. AOM is a complex microbial process that involves several different microbial groups and metabolic pathways. The role of different electron acceptors in AOM has been studied for decades, yet large uncertainties remain, especially in terms of understanding the processes in natural settings. This study reports whole-core incubation methane oxidation rates along an estuarine gradient ranging from near fresh water to brackish conditions, and investigates the potential role of different electron acceptors in AOM. Microbial community structure involved in different methane processes is also studied in the same estuarine system using high throughput sequencing tools. Methane oxidation in the sediments was active in three distinct depth layers throughout the studied transect, with total oxidation rates increasing seawards. We find extensive evidence of non-sulphate AOM throughout the transect. The highest absolute AOM rates were observed below the sulphate-methane transition zone (SMTZ), strongly implicating the role of alternative electron acceptors (most likely iron and manganese oxides). However, oxidation rates were ultimately limited by methane availability. ANME-2a/b were the most abundant microbial phyla associated with AOM throughout the study sites, followed by ANME-2d in much lower abundances. Similarly to oxidation rates, highest abundances of microbial groups commonly associated with AOM were found well below the SMTZ, further reinforcing the importance of non-sulphate AOM in this system.

Full list of authors: Borlaff, A. S.; Gómez-Alvarez, P.; Altieri, B.; Marcum, P. M.; Vavrek, R.; Laureijs, R.; Kohley, R.; Buitrago, F.; Cuillandre, J. -C.; Duc, P. -A.; Gaspar Venancio, L. M.; Amara, A.; Andreon, S.; Auricchio, N.; Azzollini, R.; Baccigalupi, C.; Balaguera-Antolínez, A.; Baldi, M.; Bardelli, S.; Bender, R.; Biviano, A.; Bodendorf, C.; Bonino, D.; Bozzo, E.; Branchini, E.; Brescia, M.; Brinchmann, J.; Burigana, C.; Cabanac, R.; Camera, S.; Candini, G. P.; Capobianco, V.; Cappi, A.; Carbone, C.; Carretero, J.; Carvalho, C. S.; Casas, S.; Castander, F. J.; Castellano, M.; Castignani, G.; Cavuoti, S.; Cimatti, A.; Cledassou, R.; Colodro-Conde, C.; Congedo, G.; Conselice, C. J.; Conversi, L.; Copin, Y.; Corcione, L.; Coupon, J.; Courtois, H. M.; Cropper, M.; Da Silva, A.; Degaudenzi, H.; Di Ferdinando, D.; Douspis, M.; Dubath, F.; Duncan, C. A. J.; Dupac, X.; Dusini, S.; Ealet, A.; Fabricius, M.; Farina, M. ; Farrens, S.; Ferreira, P. G.; Ferriol, S.; Finelli, F.; Flose-Reimberg, P.; Fosalba, P.; Frailis, M.; Franceschi, E.; Fumana, M.; Galeotta, S.; Ganga, K.; Garilli, B.; Gillis, B.; Giocoli, C.; Gozaliasl, G.; Graciá-Carpio, J.; Grazian, A.; Grupp, F.; Haugan, S. V. H.; Holmes, W.; Hormuth, F.; Jahnke, K.; Keihanen, E.; Kermiche, S.; Kiessling, A.; Kilbinger, M.; Kirkpatrick, C. C.; Kitching, T.; Knapen, J. H.; Kubik, B.; Kümmel, M.; Kunz, M.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Liebing, P.; Ligori, S.; Lilje, P. B.; Lindholm, V.; Lloro, I.; Mainetti, G.; Maino, D.; Mansutti, O.; Marggraf, O.; Markovic, K.; Martinelli, M.; Martinet, N.; Martínez-Delgado, D.; Marulli, F.; Massey, R.; Maturi, M.; Maurogordato, S.; Medinaceli, E.; Mei, S.; Meneghetti, M.; Merlin, E.; Metcalf, R. B.; Meylan, G.; Moresco, M.; Morgante, G.; Moscardini, L.; Munari, E.; Nakajima, R.; Neissner, C.; Niemi, S. M.; Nightingale, J. W.; Nucita, A.; Padilla, C.; Paltani, S.; Pasian, F.; Patrizii, L.; Pedersen, K.; Percival, W. J.; Pettorino, V.; Pires, S.; Poncet, M.; Popa, L.; Potter, D.; Pozzetti, L.; Raison, F.; Rebolo, R.; Renzi, A.; Rhodes, J.; Riccio, G.; Romelli, E.; Roncarelli, M.; Rosset, C.; Rossetti, E.; Saglia, R.; Sánchez, A. G.; Sapone, D.; Sauvage, M.; Schneider, P.; Scottez, V.; Secroun, A.; Seidel, G.; Serrano, S.; Sirignano, C.; Sirri, G.; Skottfelt, J.; Stanco, L.; Starck, J. L.; Sureau, F.; Tallada-Crespí, P.; Taylor, A. N.; Tenti, M.; Tereno, I.; Teyssier, R.; Toledo-Moreo, R.; Torradeflot, F.; Tutusaus, I.; Valentijn, E. A.; Valenziano, L.; Valiviita, J.; Vassallo, T.; Viel, M.; Wang, Y.; Weller, J.; Whittaker, L.; Zacchei, A.; Zamorani, G.; Zucca, E.; Euclid Collaboration., Context. While Euclid is an ESA mission specifically designed to investigate the nature of dark energy and dark matter, the planned unprecedented combination of survey area (∼15 000 deg2), spatial resolution, low sky-background, and depth also make Euclid an excellent space observatory for the study of the low surface brightness Universe. Scientific exploitation of the extended low surface brightness structures requires dedicated calibration procedures that are yet to be tested. Aims. We investigate the capabilities of Euclid to detect extended low surface brightness structure by identifying and quantifying sky-background sources and stray-light contamination. We test the feasibility of generating sky flat-fields to reduce large-scale residual gradients in order to reveal the extended emission of galaxies observed in the Euclid survey. Methods. We simulated a realistic set of Euclid/VIS observations, taking into account both instrumental and astronomical sources of contamination, including cosmic rays, stray-light, zodiacal light, interstellar medium, and the cosmic infrared background, while simulating the effects of background sources in the field of view. Results. We demonstrate that a combination of calibration lamps, sky flats, and self-calibration would enable recovery of emission at a limiting surface brightness magnitude of μlim = 29.5−0.27+0.08 mag arcsec−2 (3σ, 10 × 10 arcsec2) in the Wide Survey, and it would reach regions deeper by 2 mag in the Deep Surveys. Conclusions.Euclid/VIS has the potential to be an excellent low surface brightness observatory. Covering the gap between pixel-to-pixel calibration lamp flats and self-calibration observations for large scales, the application of sky flat-fielding will enhance the sensitivity of the VIS detector at scales larger than 1″, up to the size of the field of view, enabling Euclid to detect extended surface brightness structures below μlim = 31 mag arcsec−2 and beyond. © ESO 2022., A. B. was supported by an appointment to the NASA Postdoctoral Program at the NASA Ames Research Center, administered by Universities Space Research Association under contract with NASA, and the European Space Agency (ESA), through the European Space Astronomy Center Faculty. We acknowledge a number of agencies and institutes that have supported the development of Euclid, in particular the Academy of Finland, the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, the Belgian Science Policy, the Canadian Euclid Consortium, the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, the Danish Space Research Institute, the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the Netherlandse Onderzoekschool Voor Astronomie, the Norwegian Space Agency, the Romanian Space Agency, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) at the Swiss Space Office (SSO), and the United Kingdom Space Agency. A complete and detailed list is available on the Euclid website (http://www.euclid-ec.org). This work has made use of data from the ESA mission Gaia (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/gaia), processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC, https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/dpac/consortium). Funding for the DPAC has been provided by national institutions, in particular the institutions participating in the Gaia Multilateral Agreement. This research made use of NumPy (Van Der Walt et al. 2011), Astropy, a community-developed core Python package for Astronomy (Astropy Collaboration 2013). All of the figures on this publication were generated using Matplotlib (Hunter 2007). This work was partly done using GNU Astronomy Utilities (Gnuastro, ascl.net/1801.009) version 0.11.22-dc86., With funding from the Spanish government through the Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence accreditation SEV-2017-0709.

WOS: 000473400900001, In this study, the rheological properties and performances of mud prepared with geothermal spring water to be used by geothermal drilling operators were examined at ambient and elevated temperatures. In this context, mud samples were prepared in the compositions detailed in the API specification by using five different geothermal spring water types and a distilled water type. Afterwards, density, apparent viscosity, plastic viscosity, yield point, gel strength, fluid loss, pH, and filter cake thickness of these samples were measured. The drilling muds were analyzed by means of rheological tests in accordance with the standards of the American Petroleum Institute (API). The experimental results have revealed that the mud prepared with geothermal water have lower viscosity and yield point compared to those prepared with freshwater at elevated temperatures. The stability of the muds decreases, especially at temperatures higher than 250 degrees F, and they start to become flocculated. It was concluded that geothermal water-based muds have higher API fluid loss and cake thickness than the freshwater-based one. Therefore, it could be interpreted that the muds prepared with geothermal spring water will exhibit lower flow performance and lower ability of hole cleaning and rate of penetration compared to the freshwater muds. Hence, it is recommended that this kind of water should not be used to prepare drilling mud.

Submarine channel systems play a crucial role in governing the delivery of sediments and pollutants such as plastics from the shelf edge to deep water. Understanding their distribution in space and time is important for constraining the locus, magnitude, and characteristics of deep-water sedimentation and for predicting stratigraphic architectures and depositional facies. Using three-dimensional seismic reflection data covering the outer fold-and-thrust belt of the Niger Delta, we determined the pathways of Miocene to Pliocene channels that crossed, at 173 locations, 11 fold-thrust structures for which the temporal and spatial evolution of strain rates has been constrained over a period of 11 m.y. We use a statistical approach to quantify strain and shortening rate distributions recorded where channels have crossed structures compared to the fault array as a whole. Our results prove unambiguously that these distributions are different. The median strain rate where channels cross faults is 1%/m.y. Our results quantify the sensitivity of submarine channels to active deformation at a population level for the first time and enable us to predict the temporal and spatial routing of submarine channels affected by structurally driven topography.

Macrofauna are an abundant and diverse component of abyssal benthic communities and are likely to be heavily impacted by polymetallic nodule mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). In 2012, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) used available benthic biodiversity data and environmental proxies to establish nine no-mining areas, called Areas of Particular Environmental Interest (APEIs) in the CCZ. The APEIs were intended as a representative system of protected areas to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem function across the region from mining impacts. Since 2012, a number of research programs have collected additional ecological baseline data from the CCZ. We assemble and analyze macrofaunal biodiversity data sets from eight studies, focusing on three dominant taxa (Polychaeta, Tanaidacea, and Isopoda), and encompassing 477 box-core samples to address the following questions: (1) How do macrofaunal abundance, biodiversity, and community structure vary across the CCZ, and what are the potential ecological drivers? (2) How representative are APEIs of the nearest contractor areas? (3) How broadly do macrofaunal species range across the CCZ region? and (4) What scientific gaps hinder our understanding of macrofaunal biodiversity and biogeography in the CCZ? Our analyses led us to hypothesize that sampling efficiencies vary across macrofaunal data sets from the CCZ, making quantitative comparisons between studies challenging. Nonetheless, we found that macrofaunal abundance and diversity varied substantially across the CCZ, likely due in part to variations in particulate organic carbon (POC) flux and nodule abundance. Most macrofaunal species were collected only as singletons or doubletons, with additional species still accumulating rapidly at all sites, and with most collected species appearing to be new to science. Thus, macrofaunal diversity remains poorly sampled and described across the CCZ, especially within APEIs, where a total of nine box cores have been taken across three APEIs. Some common macrofaunal species ranged over 600–3000 km, while other locally abundant species were collected across ≤ 200 km. The vast majority of macrofaunal species are rare, have been collected only at single sites, and may have restricted ranges. Major impediments to understanding baseline conditions of macrofaunal biodiversity across the CCZ include: (1) limited taxonomic description and/or barcoding of the diverse macrofauna, (2) inadequate sampling in most of the CCZ, especially within APEIs, and (3) lack of consistent sampling protocols and efficiencies.

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552 This paper concludes a special feature of Sustainability Science that explores a broad range of social value theoretical traditions, such as religious studies, social psychology, indigenous knowledge, economics, sociology, and philosophy. We introduce a novel transdisciplinary conceptual framework that revolves around concepts of 'lenses' and 'tensions' to help navigate value diversity. First, we consider the notion of lenses: perspectives on value and valuation along diverse dimensions that describe what values focus on, how their sociality is envisioned, and what epistemic and procedural assumptions are made. We characterise fourteen of such dimensions. This provides a foundation for exploration of seven areas of tension, between: (1) the values of individuals vs collectives; (2) values as discrete and held vs embedded and constructed; (3) value as static or changeable; (4) valuation as descriptive vs normative and transformative; (5) social vs relational values; (6) different rationalities and their relation to value integration; (7) degrees of acknowledgment of the role of power in navigating value conflicts. In doing so, we embrace the 'mess' of diversity, yet also provide a framework to organise this mess and support and encourage active transdisciplinary collaboration. We identify key research areas where such collaborations can be harnessed for sustainability transformation. Here it is crucial to understand how certain social value lenses are privileged over others and build capacity in decision-making for understanding and drawing on multiple value, epistemic and procedural lenses.

High-resolution climate model simulations for the last millennium were used to elucidate the main winter Northern Hemisphere atmospheric pattern during enhanced Eastern Mediterranean Transient (EMT-type) events, a situation in which an additional overturning cell is detected in the Mediterranean at the Aegean Sea. The differential upward heat flux between the Aegean Basin and the Gulf of Lion was taken as a proxy of EMT-type events and correlated with winter mean geopotential height at 500 mbar in the Northern Hemisphere (20–90∘ N and 100∘ W–80∘ E). Correlations revealed a pattern similar to the East Atlantic/Western Russian (EA/WR) mode as the main driver of EMT-type events, with the past 1000 years of EA/WR-like mode simulations being enhanced during insolation minima. Our model results are consistent with alkenone sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions that documented an increase in the west–east basin gradients during EMT-type events., This work started as a collaboration between researchers with the PALEOLINK project by the PAGES 2k Network. We acknowledge support from the PAGES (Past Global Changes) 2k Network, funded by the US and Swiss National Science Foundations (NSF) and NOAA. We want also to acknowledge project PGC2018-102288-B-I00 funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. Juan José Gomez-Navarro acknowledges the funding obtained through the “Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación” program (IJCI-2015-26914).

Machine learning, particularly deep learning (DL), has become a central and state-of-the-art method for several computer vision applications and remote sensing (RS) image processing. Researchers are continually trying to improve the performance of the DL methods by developing new architectural designs of the networks and/or developing new techniques, such as attention mechanisms. Since the attention mechanism has been proposed, regardless of its type, it has been increasingly used for diverse RS applications to improve the performances of the existing DL methods. However, these methods are scattered over different studies impeding the selection and application of the feasible approaches. This study provides an overview of the developed attention mechanisms and how to integrate them with different deep learning neural network architectures. In addition, it aims to investigate the effect of the attention mechanism on deep learning-based RS image processing. We identified and analyzed the advances in the corresponding attention mechanism-based deep learning (At-DL) methods. A systematic literature review was performed to identify the trends in publications, publishers, improved DL methods, data types used, attention types used, overall accuracies achieved using At-DL methods, and extracted the current research directions, weaknesses, and open problems to provide insights and recommendations for future studies. For this, five main research questions were formulated to extract the required data and information from the literature. Furthermore, we categorized the papers regarding the addressed RS image processing tasks (e.g., image classification, object detection, and change detection) and discussed the results within each group. In total, 270 papers were retrieved, of which 176 papers were selected according to the defined exclusion criteria for further analysis and detailed review. The results reveal that most of the papers reported an increase in overall accuracy when using the attention mechanism within the DL methods for image classification, image segmentation, change detection, and object detection using remote sensing images.

Background and aims Characterizing root system architectures of field-grown crops is challenging as root systems are hidden in the soil. We investigate the possibility of estimating root architecture model parameters from soil core data in a Bayesian framework. Methods In a synthetic experiment, we simulated wheat root systems in a virtual field plot with the stochastic CRootBox model. We virtually sampled soil cores from this plot to create synthetic measurement data. We used the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) DREAM(ZS) sampler to estimate the most sensitive root system architecture parameters. To deal with the CRootBox model stochasticity and limited computational resources, we essentially added a stochastic component to the likelihood function, thereby turning the MCMC sampling into a form of approximate Bayesian computation (ABC). Results A few zero-order root parameters: maximum length, elongation rate, insertion angles, and numbers of zero-order roots, with narrow posterior distributions centered around true parameter values were identifiable from soil core data. Yet other zero-order and higher-order root parameters were not identifiable showing a sizeable posterior uncertainty. Conclusions Bayesian inference of root architecture parameters from root density profiles is an effective method to extract information about sensitive parameters hidden in these profiles. Equally important, this method also identifies which information about root architecture is lost when root architecture is aggregated in root density profiles.

International audience; The international array of profiling floats known as Argo is a major component of the global ocean-and climate-observing system. In 2010, the NAOS (Novel Argo Observing System) project was selected as part of France's Equipex "Investissement d'Avenir" program. The objectives of NAOS were to consolidate the French contribution to the Argo core mission (global temperature and salinity measurements down to 2,000 m) as well as to develop the future generation of French Argo profiling floats and prepare the next phase of the Argo program with an extension to the deep ocean (Deep-Argo), biogeochemistry (BGC-Argo) and polar seas. This paper summarizes the main technological advances and at-sea validations carried out as part of NAOS: development of a deep (4,000 m) float, a new BGC float for Research & Development (R&D) applications, and a BGC float for deployments in Arctic areas, assessment of a new density and Absolute Salinity optical sensor, improvement of the reliability of the standard Argo float, and upgraded satellite-transmission performance. French profiling floats developed in this way are now operational and among the most deployed worldwide, and the density sensor is the most promising of its kind for profiling floats applications.

Ultrafast ultrasound (US) revolutionized biomedical imaging with its capability of acquiring full-view frames at over 1 kHz, unlocking breakthrough modalities such as shear-wave elastography and functional US neuroimaging. Yet, it suffers from strong diffraction artifacts, mainly caused by grating lobes, side lobes, or edge waves. Multiple acquisitions are typically required to obtain a sufficient image quality, at the cost of a reduced frame rate. To answer the increasing demand for high-quality imaging from single unfocused acquisitions, we propose a two-step convolutional neural network (CNN)-based image reconstruction method, compatible with real-time imaging. A low-quality estimate is obtained by means of a backprojection-based operation, akin to conventional delay-and-sum beamforming, from which a high-quality image is restored using a residual CNN with multiscale and multichannel filtering properties, trained specifically to remove the diffraction artifacts inherent to ultrafast US imaging. To account for both the high dynamic range and the oscillating properties of radio frequency US images, we introduce the mean signed logarithmic absolute error (MSLAE) as a training loss function. Experiments were conducted with a linear transducer array, in single plane-wave (PW) imaging. Trainings were performed on a simulated dataset, crafted to contain a wide diversity of structures and echogenicities. Extensive numerical evaluations demonstrate that the proposed approach can reconstruct images from single PWs with a quality similar to that of gold-standard synthetic aperture imaging, on a dynamic range in excess of 60 dB. In vitro and in vivo experiments show that trainings carried out on simulated data perform well in experimental settings., Main: 14 pages (6 figures). Supplement: 9 pages (10 figures). Video provided as ancillary file. This version has been accepted for publication in the the IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control

RZ Psc is a young Sun-like star with a bright and warm infrared excess that is occasionally dimmed significantly by circumstellar dust structures. Optical depth arguments suggest that the dimming events do not probe a typical sight line through the circumstellar dust, and are instead caused by structures that appear above an optically thick mid-plane. This system may therefore be similar to systems where an outer disk is shadowed by material closer to the star. Here we report the discovery that RZ Psc hosts a 0.12$M_\odot$ companion at a projected separation of 23au. We conclude that the disk must orbit the primary star. While we do not detect orbital motion, comparison of the angle of linear polarization of the primary with the companion's on-sky position angle provides circumstantial evidence that the companion and disc may not share the same orbital plane. Whether the companion severely disrupts the disc, truncates it, or has little effect at all, will require further observations of both the companion and disc., MNRASL in press

Negotiations for a new international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) are currently ongoing. A “package” of four elements are under discussion, one of which is “marine genetic resources (MGR), including questions on the sharing of benefits.” Governance of MGR in ABNJ requires consideration of access and benefit-sharing options. The MGR element is considered the most contentious since there is a lack of convergence on this topic amongst delegates. This is currently hindering progress in negotiations. Therefore, resolving issues linked to MGR holds the key to reaching agreement of the instrument as a whole. The aim of this article is to gather stakeholder perspectives on goals and options for a new genetic resource mechanism for ABNJ. A scoping literature review was conducted to identify goals and options in terms of access and of benefit-sharing in ABNJ. Next, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 people from five different stakeholder groups; scientific research community, private sector, developing States, developed States, and civil society. Results indicated that stakeholders all agree with conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of ABNJ as the most important goals of a potential new genetic resource mechanism for ABNJ. Stakeholders preferred a light-touch governance approach to access, with notification pre- (and possibly also post-) collection of MGR in situ. Mandatory non-monetary benefit-sharing at point of sampling was considered most appropriate, possibly with scope for voluntary monetary benefit-sharing at the point of commercialization. It may be useful to keep these perspectives in mind during negotiations and also during future implementation processes in order to attain the goals of perceived greatest importance. By understanding the different viewpoints and priorities, delegates will be better equipped to negotiate the remainder of the issues related to MGR, to reach mutually acceptable compromises and, ultimately, a new biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction agreement.

Repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) present excellent opportunities to identify FRB progenitors and host environments, as well as decipher the underlying emission mechanism. Detailed studies of repeating FRBs might also hold clues to the origin of FRBs as a population. We aim to detect the first two repeating FRBs: FRB 121102 (R1) and FRB 180814.J0422+73 (R2), and characterise their repeat statistics. We also want to significantly improve the sky localisation of R2. We use the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope to conduct extensive follow-up of these two repeating FRBs. The new phased-array feed system, Apertif, allows covering the entire sky position uncertainty of R2 with fine spatial resolution in one pointing. We characterise the energy distribution and the clustering of detected R1 bursts. We detected 30 bursts from R1. Our measurements indicate a dispersion measure of 563.5(2) pc cm$^{-3}$, suggesting a significant increase in DM over the past few years. We place an upper limit of 8% on the linear polarisation fraction of the brightest burst. We did not detect any bursts from R2. A single power-law might not fit the R1 burst energy distribution across the full energy range or widely separated detections. Our observations provide improved constraints on the clustering of R1 bursts. Our stringent upper limits on the linear polarisation fraction imply a significant depolarisation, either intrinsic to the emission mechanism or caused by the intervening medium, at 1400 MHz that is not observed at higher frequencies. The non-detection of any bursts from R2 implies either a highly clustered nature of the bursts, a steep spectral index, or a combination of both. Alternatively, R2 has turned off completely, either permanently or for an extended period of time., 11 pages, 7 figures, submitted to A&A

In 2015, we collected more than 60 000 scavenging amphipod specimens during two expeditions to the Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone (CCZ) in the Northeast (NE) Pacific and to the DISturbance and re-COLonisation (DisCOL) experimental area (DEA), a simulated mining impact disturbance proxy in the Peru Basin in the Southeast (SE) Pacific. Here, we compare biodiversity patterns of the larger specimens (> 15 mm) within and between these two oceanic basins. Eight scavenging amphipod species are shared between these two areas, thus indicating connectivity. Overall diversity was lower in the DEA (Simpson index, D = 0.62), when compared to the CCZ (D = 0.73), and particularly low at the disturbance site in the DEA and the site geographically closest to it. Local differences within each basin were observed too. The community compositions of the two basins differ, as evidenced by a non-metric dimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis of beta biodiversity. Finally, a single species, Abyssorchomene gerulicorbis (Schulenberger and Barnard, 1976), dominates the DEA with 60% of all individuals. This research has been supported by the JPI-Oceans project "Mining Impact" (BELSPO grant no. BR/15/MA/JPI-DEEPSEA2). Patel, T (corresponding author), Univ Ghent, Dept Biol, KL Ledeganckstr 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. tpatel@naturalsciences.be

WOS:000508749000008; International audience; In face of increasing anthropogenic disturbance in the deep sea, it is a priority to better understand the regional distribution of cold-water corals (CWC). These organisms create some of the most species-rich habitats in the deep sea and, for this reason, they must be properly protected and managed. In this study, we aimed to identify suitable habitat for multiple CWC taxa off the Brazilian continental margin and compare their environmental niches. Habitat suitability models were developed using the Maxent approach, which allowed for the prediction of species distribution and for the identification of potential 'hot spot' areas that may be important for biodiversity conservation. Ecological niches were determined by a PCA-env approach, and niche similarity and equivalence were evaluated based on niche overlap using the Schoener's D metric. Potentially suitable habitat for Octocorallia covered a broad latitudinal range encompassing nearly the entire Brazilian continental margin, whereas Scleractinia had greater potentially suitable habitat in the Central and Southern areas. Scleractinian species were observed to slightly differ in their environmental niche, with non-reef-forming species being more tolerant to a wider range of environmental conditions in comparison with reef-forming species, inhabiting a wider area of the South American continental margin. Due to the high potential suitability for several CWC species, the Central and Southern parts of the Brazilian continental margin should be considered as potential areas high CWC diversity. Considering the current state of the art and strategic assessment tools, these areas are important targets for conservation, management, and environmental impact assessment. Most reef-forming species had similar but not directly equivalent ecological niches, indicating that mapping efforts and management planning should consider CWCs at the species level.

The cycling of carbon (C) by benthic organisms is a key ecosystem function in the deep sea. Pulse-chase experiments are designed to quantify this process, yet few studies have been carried out using abyssal (3500-6000 m) sediments and only a handful of studies have been undertaken in situ. We undertook eight in situ pulse-chase experiments in three abyssal strata (4050-4200 m water depth) separated by tens to hundreds of kilometers in the eastern Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ). These experiments demonstrated that benthic bacteria dominated the consumption of phytodetritus over short (similar to 1.5 d) time scales, with metazoan macrofauna playing a minor role. These results contrast with the only other comparable in situ abyssal study, where macrofauna dominated phytodetritus assimilation over short (2.5 d) time scales in the eutrophic NE Atlantic. We also demonstrated that benthic bacteria were capable of converting dissolved inorganic C into biomass and showed that this process can occur at rates that are as high as the bacterial assimilation of algal-derived organic C. This demonstrates the potential importance of inorganic C uptake to abyssal ecosystems in this region. It also alludes to the possibility that some of the C incorporation by bacteria in our algal-addition studies may have resulted from the incorporation of labeled dissolved inorganic carbon initially respired by other unstudied organisms. Our findings reveal the key importance of benthic bacteria in the short-term cycling of C in abyssal habitats in the eastern CCFZ and provide important information on benthic ecosystem functioning in an area targeted for commercial-scale, deep-sea mining activities.

Deep shale gas reservoirs buried underground with depth being more than 3500 m are characterized by high in-situ stress, large horizontal stress difference, complex distribution of bedding and natural cracks, and strong rock plasticity. Thus, during hydraulic fracturing, these reservoirs often reveal difficult fracture extension, low fracture complexity, low stimulated reservoir volume (SRV), low conductivity and fast decline, which hinder greatly the economic and effective development of deep shale gas. In this paper, a specific and feasible technique of volume fracturing of deep shale gas horizontal wells is presented. In addition to planar perforation, multi-scale fracturing, full-scale fracture filling, and control over extension of high-angle natural fractures, some supporting techniques are proposed, including multi-stage alternate injection (of acid fluid, slick water and gel) and the mixed- and small-grained proppant to be injected with variable viscosity and displacement. These techniques help to increase the effective stimulated reservoir volume (ESRV) for deep gas production. Some of the techniques have been successfully used in the fracturing of deep shale gas horizontal wells in Yongchuan, Weiyuan and southern Jiaoshiba blocks in the Sichuan Basin. As a result, Wells YY1HF and WY1HF yielded initially 14.1 × 10 4 m 3 /d and 17.5 × 10 4 m 3 /d after fracturing. The volume fracturing of deep shale gas horizontal well is meaningful in achieving the productivity of 50 × 10 8 m 3 gas from the interval of 3500–4000 m in Phase II development of Fuling and also in commercial production of huge shale gas resources at a vertical depth of less than 6000 m.

Two-photon light-sheet microscopy (2P-SPIM) provides a unique combination of advantages for fast and deep fluorescence imaging in live tissues. Detecting coherent signals such as second-harmonic generation (SHG) in 2P-SPIM in addition to fluorescence would open further imaging opportunities. However, light-sheet microscopy involves an orthogonal configuration of illumination and detection that questions the ability to detect coherent signals. Indeed, coherent scattering from micron-sized structures occurs predominantly along the illumination beam. By contrast, point-like sources such as SHG nanocrystals can efficiently scatter light in multiple directions and be detected using the orthogonal geometry of a light-sheet microscope. This study investigates the suitability of SHG light-sheet microscopy (SHG-SPIM) for fast imaging of SHG nanoprobes. Parameters that govern the detection efficiency of KTiOPO4 and BaTiO3 nanocrystals using SHG-SPIM are investigated theoretically and experimentally. The effects of incident polarization, detection numerical aperture, nanocrystal rotational motion, and second-order susceptibility tensor symmetries on the detectability of SHG nanoprobes in this specific geometry are clarified. Guidelines for optimizing SHG-SPIM imaging are established, enabling fast in vivo light-sheet imaging combining SHG and two-photon excited fluorescence. Finally, microangiography was achieved in live zebrafish embryos by SHG imaging at up to 180 frames per second and single-particle tracking of SHG nanoprobes in the blood flow., ACS Photonics, 7 (4), ISSN:2330-4022

Improving the safety and stability of soft surrounding rock with nonlinear large deformation gives a strong guarantee for the safe mining and sustainable development of deep coal mines. In order to control the nonlinear large deformation of the surrounding rock in a deep soft rock roadway, this paper discusses the nonlinear large deformation mechanism and coupling support countermeasures of a typical engineering application at Xin&rsquo, an coal mine in Gansu province, China. The series of experiments and theoretical analysis described in this paper reveal the phenomena, properties, and reasons for the nonlinear large deformation of soft surrounding rock in detail. Then, the type of nonlinear large deformation mechanism is determined and transformed from a composite one to a simple one. Based on experimental results and mechanism transformation, a suitable coupling support countermeasure, which contains the Constant Resistance Large Deformation (CRLD) bolt, steel mesh, floor hollow grouting cable, and steel fiber concrete, is proposed to reduce the nonlinear large deformation and the potential risk during mining. The application shows that the coupling support countermeasure can effectively reduce the nonlinear large deformation of the surrounding rock and help to maintain the stability of the deep soft rock roadway at Xin&rsquo, an coal mine.

The cycling of iron and organic matter (OM) is thought to have been a major biogeochemical cycle in the early ferruginous oceans which contributed to the deposition of banded iron formations (BIF). However, BIF are deficient in OM, which is postulated to be the result of near-complete oxidation of OM during iron reduction. We test this idea by documenting the prevalence of OM in clays within BIF and clays in shales associated with BIF. We find in shales >80% of OM occurs in clays, but, Banded iron formations could have formed in the early oceans due to microbial metabolism. Here Dodd and colleagues find little organic carbon in these formations, indicating microbial iron cycling was minimal and could have limited the recycling of important nutrients to overlying waters.

Better scientific knowledge of the poorly-known deep sea and areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) is key to its conservation, an urgent need in light of increasing environmental pressures. Access to marine genetic resources (MGR) for the biodiversity research community is essential to allow these environments to be better characterised. Negotiations have commenced under the auspices of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to develop a new treaty to further the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in ABNJ. It is timely to consider the relevant issues with the development of the treaty underway. Currently uncertainties surround the legal definition of MGR and scope of related benefit-sharing, against a background of regional and global governance gaps in ABNJ. These complications are mirrored in science, with recent major advances in the field of genomics, but variability in handling of the resulting increasing volumes of data. Here, we attempt to define the concept of MGR from a scientific perspective, review current practices for the generation of and access to MGR from ABNJ in the context of relevant regulations, and illustrate the utility of best-practice with a case study. We contribute recommendations with a view to strengthen best-practice in accessibility of MGR, including: funder recognition of the central importance of taxonomy/biodiversity research; support of museums/collections for long-term sample curation; open access to data; usage and further development of globally recognised data standards and platforms; publishing of datasets via open-access, quality controlled and standardised data systems and open access journals; commitment to best-practice workflows; a global registry of cruises; and lastly development of a clearing house to further centralised access to the above. We argue that commitment to best-practice would allow greater sharing of MGR for research and extensive secondary use including conservation and environmental monitoring, and provide an exemplar for access and benefit-sharing (ABS) to inform the biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) process.

Brain function emerges from the coordinated activity, over time, of large neuronal populations placed in different brain regions. Understanding the relationships of these specific areas and disentangling the contributions of individual neurons to overall function remain central goals for neuroscience. In this scenario, fluorescence microscopy has been proved as the tool of choice for in vivo recording of brain activity. Optical advances combined with genetically encoded indicators allow a large flexibility in terms of spatiotemporal resolution and field of view while keeping invasiveness in living animals to a minimum. Here we describe the latest advancements in the field of linear and nonlinear optical microscopy with special attention to the exploration of brain functionality of model animals. The present review aims to guide the reader through the main optical systems in the field toward future directions for in vivo microscopy applications. (C) 2019 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement

Increasing industrial metal demands due to rapid technological developments may drive the prospection and exploitation of deep-sea mineral resources such as polymetallic nodules. To date, the potential environmental consequences of mining operations in the remote deep sea are poorly known. Experimental studies are scarce, especially with regard to the effect of sediment and nodule debris depositions as a consequence of seabed mining. To elucidate the potential effects of the deposition of crushed polymetallic nodule particles on abyssal meiobenthos communities, a short (11 d) in situ experiment at the seafloor of the Peru Basin in the south-east Pacific Ocean was conducted in 2015. We covered abyssal, soft sediment with approx. 2 cm of crushed nodule particles and sampled the sediment after 11 d of incubation at 4200 m water depth. Short-term ecological effects on the meiobenthos community were studied including changes in their composition and vertical distribution in the sediment as well as nematode genus composition. Additionally, copper burden in a few similar-sized but randomly selected nematodes was measured by means of micro X-ray fluorescence (µXRF). At the end of the experiment, 46±1 % of the total meiobenthos occurred in the added crushed nodule layer, while abundances decreased in the underlying 2 cm compared to the same depth interval in undisturbed sediments. Densities and community composition in the deeper 2–5 cm layers remained similar in covered and uncovered sediments. The migratory response into the added nodule material was particularly seen in polychaetes (73±14 %, relative abundance across all depth layers) copepods (71±6 %), nauplii (61±9 %) and nematodes (43±1 %). While the dominant nematode genera in the added nodule material did not differ from those in underlying layers or the undisturbed sediments, feeding type proportions in this layer were altered, with a 9 % decrease of non-selective deposit feeders and an 8 % increase in epistrate feeders. Nematode tissue copper burden did not show elevated copper toxicity resulting from burial with crushed nodule particles. Our results indicate that burial with a 2 cm layer of crushed nodule particles induces changes in the vertical structure of meiobenthos inside the sediment and an alteration of nematode feeding type proportions within a short time frame of 11 d, while nematode tissue copper burden remains unchanged. These findings considerably contribute to the understanding of the short-term responses of meiobenthos to physical disturbances in the deep sea.

Background & aims: Roots are of paramount importance in protecting grassland in numerous ecosystem services e.g. soil organic matter build-up. However, studies that quantified root biomass in grasslands predominantly focused on areas managed less intensively than the management that is common to most North-West European grassland-based farms. To fill this knowledge gap, we compared, root and stubble biomass, the distribution in the soil and root diameter classes of five common European forage grass species grown under intensive management. Methods: On a 3 year old trial comparing yield of five cool season forage grass species at two N fertilization levels (190 kg N ha−1 yr−1 or 300 kg N ha−1 yr−1) we sampled root and stubble biomass until a depth of 90 cm deep. Results: Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) displayed the highest root and stubble biomass and had the highest mean root diameters of all studied grass species. The total dry biomass below cutting height (stubble + roots up to a depth of 90 cm below the soil surface) varied between 18 and 19 tonnes ha−1 for tall fescue and 10 and 11 tonnes ha−1 for Festulolium at 190 kg N ha−1 yr−1 and 300 kg N ha−1 yr−1, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings emphasize that in intensively managed grassland, root and stubble biomass under a 3 years old sward can be as high as 19 t DM ha−1. Owing to the high forage and root biomass of tall fescue, this species has a high potential in maintaining several ecosystem services.

We measure the evolution of sizes for star-forming galaxies as seen in 1.4 GHz continuum radio for z = 0-3. The measurements are based on combined VLA+MERLIN data of the Hubble Deep Field, and using a uv-stacking algorithm combined with model fitting to estimate the average sizes of galaxies. A sample of similar to 1000 star-forming galaxies is selected from optical and near-infrared catalogues, with stellar masses Me-circle dot approximate to 10(10)-10(11) M-circle dot and photometric redshifts 0-3. The median sizes are parametrized for stellar mass M-* = 5 x 10(10) M-circle dot as R-e = A x (H(z)/H(1.5))(alpha z). We find that the median radio sizes evolve towards larger sizes at later times with alpha(z) = 1.1 +/- 0.6, and A (the median size at z approximate to 1.5) is found to be 0 ''.26 +/- 0 ''.07 or 2.3 +/- 0.6 kpc. The measured radio sizes are typically a factor of 2 smaller than those measure in the optical, and are also smaller than the typical H alpha sizes in the literature. This indicates that star formation, as traced by the radio continuum, is typically concentrated towards the centre of galaxies, for the sampled redshift range. Furthermore, the discrepancy of measured sizes from different tracers of star formation, indicates the need for models of size evolution to adopt a multiwavelength approach in the measurement of the sizes star-forming regions.

Herein, first observations are reported of Magnapinna squids in the Colombian Southern Caribbean. Two specimens were observed by Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV) during exploratory drilling surveys for hydrocarbons at 1,883 and 2,294 m depth. These are the first observations of specimens of Magnapinna in the Southern Caribbean. Resumen La primera observación del calamar Magnapinna sp. en el caribe sur colombiano. Dos especímenes de calamares de aleta grande fueron observados con submarino de operación remota (ROV) durante un proyecto de perforación exploratoria de hidrocaburos a profundidades de 1,883 y de 2,294 m, respectivamente. Estas son las primeras observaciones de especímenes de Magnapinna en el Caribe Sur.

We examined fossil Cladocera (Crustacea) communities and their functional assemblages in a similar to 60-year sediment record from Lake Maggiore, northern Italy. Our main objective was to document the response of aquatic community functioning to environmental stress during eutrophication (1960-1985) and recovery (post-1985), and to identify environmental controls on cladoceran functionality. Of the functional groups, large filter feeders and oval epibenthos thrived prior to eutrophication (reference conditions pre-1960) and globular epibenthos and small filter feeders increased during eutrophication and as the lake recovered. Multivariate analyses suggested that bottom-up controls (i.e., total phosphorus) were important for shaping functional assemblages but taxonomic community changes were likely related to top-down control by predators, particularly the predaceous cladoceran Bythotrephes longimanus. Functional diversity (FD) was higher and Daphnia ephippia length (DEL) larger during the reference and early eutrophication periods and decreased during eutrophication and recovery. Both FD (high) and DEL (large) were distinct during reference period, but were similar (FD low, DEL small) between the eutrophication and recovery periods. The functional attributes and the assemblages did not recover post-eutrophication, suggesting that the system exhibited a clear shift to low FD and dominance of small filterers. Cladoceran functionality appears to be related to fundamental ecosystem functions, such as productivity, and may thus provide insights for long-term changes in ecological resilience.

International audience; Low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs) have been observed in subduction zones and some major tectonic faults and may well be the most important constituents of tectonic tremors. In subduction zones, they were initially attributed to fluids released by dehydration reactions in downgoing slabs. Their seismic radiation pattern, however, is consistent with shear slip on the subduction interface, and this rapidly became the favored model. Recent studies indicate that the source duration of LFEs does not scale with magnitude, which can hardly be explained by shear rupture. We revisit the characteristics of LFE events in subduction zones as retrieved from local seismic arrays. We demonstrate that they can be explained equally well by forces acting in the direction of fluid motion. Such forces may be generated by a fast local pressure variations associated with unsteady fluid motion. The amount of fluid required for LFE activity is consistent with dehydration reaction rates.Plain Language Summary We discuss possible mechanisms of the low-frequency earthquakes, a component of the slow earthquake phenomena observed in fault zones, and suggest that they can be generated by very rapid fluid transients releasing the strong pressures gradients built during nonstationary fluid transport in the fault zones.

As a general rule, data analytics are now mandatory for companies. Scanned document analysis brings additional challenges introduced by paper damages and scanning quality.In an industrial context, this work focuses on the automatic understanding of sale receipts which enable access to essential and accurate consumption statistics. Given an image acquired with a smart-phone, the proposed work mainly focuses on the first steps of the full tool chain which aims at providing essential information such as the store brand, purchased products and related prices with the highest possible confidence. To get this high confidence level, even if scanning is not perfectly controlled, we propose a double check processing tool-chain using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNNs) on one hand and more classical image and text processings on another hand.The originality of this work relates in this double check processing and in the joint use of DCNNs for different applications and text analysis., International Conference on Image Processing Theory, Tools and Applications, Nov 2017, Montreal, Canada. 2017, http://www.ipta-conference.com/ipta17

The anelastic and pseudo-incompressible equations are two well-known soundproof approximations of compressible flows useful for both theoretical and numerical analysis in meteorology, atmospheric science, and ocean studies. In this paper, we derive and test structure-preserving numerical schemes for these two systems. The derivations are based on a discrete version of the Euler-Poincar\'e variational method. This approach relies on a finite dimensional approximation of the (Lie) group of diffeomorphisms that preserve weighted-volume forms. These weights describe the background stratification of the fluid and correspond to the weighed velocity fields for anelastic and pseudo-incompressible approximations. In particular, we identify to these discrete Lie group configurations the associated Lie algebras such that elements of the latter correspond to weighted velocity fields that satisfy the divergence-free conditions for both systems. Defining discrete Lagrangians in terms of these Lie algebras, the discrete equations follow by means of variational principles. Descending from variational principles, the schemes exhibit further a discrete version of Kelvin circulation theorem, are applicable to irregular meshes, and show excellent long term energy behavior. We illustrate the properties of the schemes by performing preliminary test cases., Comment: 28 pages, 11 figures

Mn4+-activated phosphors are emerging as a novel class of deep red/near-infrared emitting persistent luminescence materials for medical imaging as a promising alternative to Cr3+-doped nanomaterials. Currently, it remains a challenge to improve the afterglow and photoluminescence properties of these phosphors through a traditional high-temperature solid-state reaction method in air. Herein we propose a charge compensation strategy for enhancing the photoluminescence and afterglow performance of Mn4+-activated LaAlO3 phosphors. LaAlO3:Mn4+ (LAO:Mn4+) was synthesized by high-temperature solid-state reaction in air. The charge compensation strategies for LaAlO3:Mn4+ phosphors were systematically discussed. Interestingly, Cl−/Na+/Ca2+/Sr2+/Ba2+/Ge4+ co-dopants were all found to be beneficial for enhancing LaAlO3:Mn4+ luminescence and afterglow intensity. This strategy shows great promise and opens up new avenues for the exploration of more promising near-infrared emitting long persistent phosphors for medical imaging.

The exclusive electroproduction of omega mesons, ep -> e omega p, has been studied in the kinematic range 3 pi^+pi^-pi^0. The exclusive (ep -> e omega p) cross section in the above kinematic region is 0.108 +- 0.014(stat.) +- 0.026(syst.) nb. The reaction ep -> e phi p, phi -> pi^+pi^-pi^0, has also been measured. The cross sections, as well as the cross-section ratios omega/rho and omega/phi, are presented as a function of W and Q^2. Thus, for the first time, the properties of omega electroproduction can be compared to those of rho^0, phi and J/psi electroproduction at high W., Comment: 15 pages including 4 figures

A series of mixed metal oxides (MMOs) adsorbents (MgAl-, CuAl- and CoAl-MMOs) were supported on graphene oxide (GO) through in-situ precipitation of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) onto exfoliated GO, followed by thermal conversion. The study shows that GO is an excellent support for the LDH-derived MMOs due to matching geometry and charge complementarity, resulting in a strong hybrid effect, evidenced by significantly enhanced adsorption performance for the commercially important removal of heavy thiophenic compounds from hydrocarbons. Fundamental liquid-phase adsorption characteristics of the MMO/GO hybrids are quantified in terms of adsorption equilibrium isotherms, selectivity and adsorbent regenerability. Upon incorporation of as little as 5 wt% GO into the MMO material, the organosulfur uptake was increased by up to 170%, the recycling stability was markedly improved and pronounced selectivity for thiophenic organosulfurs over sulfur-free aromatic hydrocarbons was observed.

We present the second data release of the Large Early Galaxy Astrophysics Census (LEGA-C), an ESO 130-night public spectroscopic survey conducted with VIMOS on the Very Large Telescope. We release 1988 spectra with typical continuum S/N similar or equal to 20 angstrom(-1) of galaxies at 0.6 less than or similar to z less than or similar to 1.0, each observed for similar to 20 hr and fully reduced with a custom-built pipeline. We also release a catalog with spectroscopic redshifts, emission-line fluxes, Lick/IDS indices, and observed stellar and gas velocity dispersions that are spatially integrated quantities, including both rotational motions and genuine dispersion. To illustrate the new parameter space in the intermediate-redshift regime probed by LEGA-C, we explore relationships between dynamical and stellar population properties. The star-forming galaxies typically have observed stellar velocity dispersions of similar to 150 km s(-1) and strong H delta absorption (H delta(A) similar to 5 angstrom), while passive galaxies have higher observed stellar velocity dispersions (similar to 200 km s(-1)) and weak H delta absorption (H delta(A) similar to 0 angstrom). Strong [O III] 5007/H beta ratios tend to occur mostly for galaxies with weak H delta(A) or galaxies with higher observed velocity dispersion. Beyond these broad trends, we find a diversity of possible combinations of rest-frame colors, absorption-line strengths, and emission-line detections, illustrating the utility of spectroscopic measurements to more accurately understand galaxy evolution. By making the spectra and value-added catalogs publicly available we encourage the community to take advantage of this very substantial investment in telescope time provided by ESO.

In this study we show that it is possible to successfully combine the benefits of light-sheet microscopy, self-reconstructing Bessel beams and two-photon fluorescence excitation to improve imaging in large, scattering media such as cancer cell clusters. We achieved a nearly two-fold increase in axial image resolution and 5–10 fold increase in contrast relative to linear excitation with Bessel beams. The light-sheet penetration depth could be increased by a factor of 3–5 relative to linear excitation with Gaussian beams. These finding arise from both experiments and computer simulations. In addition, we provide a theoretical description of how these results are composed. We investigated the change of image quality along the propagation direction of the illumination beams both for clusters of spheres and tumor multicellular spheroids. The results reveal that light-sheets generated by pulsed near-infrared Bessel beams and two photon excitation provide the best image resolution, contrast at both a minimum amount of artifacts and signal degradation along the propagation of the beam into the sample.

International audience; Not Available

We present the search for Cherenkov signatures from relativistic magnetic monopoles in data taken with the AMANDA-II detector, a neutrino telescope deployed in the Antarctic ice cap at the Geographic South Pole. The non-observation of a monopole signal in data collected during the year 2000 improves present experimental limits on the flux of relativistic magnetic monopoles: Our flux limit varies between 3.8x10(-17) cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1) (for monopoles moving at the vacuum speed of light) and 8.8x10(-16) cm(-2) s(-1) sr(-1) (for monopoles moving at a speed beta=v/c=0.76, just above the Cherenkov threshold in ice). These limits apply to monopoles that are energetic enough to penetrate the Earth and enter the detector from below the horizon. The limit obtained for monopoles reaching the detector from above the horizon is less stringent by roughly an order of magnitude, due to the much larger background from down-going atmospheric muons. This looser limit is however valid for a larger class of magnetic monopoles, since the monopoles are not required to pass through the Earth.

Background: Small and cryptic sponges associated with cold-water coral reefs are particularly numerous and challenging to identify, but their ecological and biochemical importance is likely to compete with megabenthic specimens.Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we use a combination of the standard M1M6 and I3M11 partitions of the COI fragment, partial rDNA 28S sequences and morphology to delineate small encrusting Plocamionida species. In total, 46 specimens were retrieved from seven shallow to deep-water coral locations, crossing 3,000 km along the European margins. Our work provides evidence that the Plocamionida ambigua f. tylotata and f. grandichelata can be considered valid species, whereas Plocamionida ambigua f. tornata corresponds to the species P. ambigua. Within the monophyletic group of Plocamionida, P. microcionides is shown as really divergent from the other taxa, and four putative new Plocamionida species are suggested.Conclusions/Significance: This study shows that the use of molecular and morphological information in an integrative approach is a powerful tool for the identification of sponge species, and suggests that an under-estimated biodiversity of sponges occurs in cold-water coral reefs.

The correlation of continental sedimentary records with the marine isotope stratigraphy is a challenge of central importance in Quaternary stratigraphy, particularly in Western Europe where long records of glaciation on land areas are particularly rare. Here we demonstrate for the first time the interrelationship of events during the last 1.2 Ma in an ocean-sediment core from the Bay of Biscay (NE Atlantic), SW of the Channel. The identification of discharge variations from tributary river systems to the ‘Fleuve Manche’ palaeoriver during glacio-eustatic sea-level lowstands demonstrates the correlation of the marine sediment stratigraphy to the expansion and recession of the European ice-sheets. The amplitude and chronology of European ice-sheet oscillations since the late Early Pleistocene is discussed and our results demonstrate that the first coalescence of the Fennoscandian and British ice-sheets in the North Sea basin ca 450 ka ago caused a profound change in lowstand European drainage alignment. This change caused a rerouting of Fennoscandian and eastern British ice-sheets-derived meltwaters from northwards into the Nordic Seas to southwards into the eastern North Atlantic thereafter. Besides allowing a thorough synchronisation of the European ice-sheet palaeogeography with the well-dated records of palaeoceanographical changes, our results improve the stratigraphy of the English Channel palaeovalleys and will provide important constraints on paleoclimatic scenarios considering the impact that such rerouting and meltwater surges might have on the stability of the oceanic conveyor belt.

This work studies the impact of wind on extreme wave events, by means of numerical analysis. A High Order Spectral Method (HOSM) is used to generate freak, or rogue waves, on the basis of modulational instability. Wave fields considered here are chosen to be unstable to two kinds of perturbations. The evolution of components during the propagation of the wave fields is presented. Their evolution under the action of wind, modeled through Jeffreys' sheltering mechanism, is investigated and compared to the results without wind. It is found that wind sustains rogue waves. The perturbation most influenced by wind is not necessarily the most unstable.

Exclusive electroproduction of $\phi$ mesons has been studied in $e^\pm p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=318 \gev$ with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 65.1 pb$^{-1}$. The $\gamma^*p$ cross section is presented in the kinematic range $2, Comment: 29 pages, 10 figures, 7 tables, accepted by Nucl. Phys. B

Biological collections are fundamental to marine scientific research and understanding of biodiversity at various scales. Despite their key importance, sample collections and the institutes that house them are often underfunded and receive comparatively little attention in the discussions associated with global biodiversity agreements. Furthermore, access to collections can be limited by inadequate systems, infrastructure, and networks. With negotiations underway for a new implementing agreement on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, marine genetic resources (MGR), including questions on the sharing of benefits, remains the most debated and contentious element. Disparities remain between States regarding access to and utilization of marine biological samples (including MGR) from areas beyond national jurisdiction. Addressing capacity gaps related to collections could provide a point of agreement during negotiations and enhance global inclusivity in access to and utilization of MGR. Here, we examine both existing capacity and regional gaps in marine collections. We propose the strengthening of a distributed network of marine biological collections, building on existing initiatives and emphasizing best practices to bridge regional gaps. Our recommendations include: promoting scientific best practice for the curation of collections; alignment with ocean observing, and sampling initiatives; a potential pairing scheme for collections in developing and developed States; raising awareness of collections and benefits to marine science including through a global registry/directory; and promoting sustainable funding mechanisms to support collections and sustain global generation of contributors and users. ispartof: ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE vol:78 issue:1 pages:305-314 ispartof: location:England status: accepted

Data from 38 Argo profiling floats are used to describe the intermediate Mediterranean currents for the period October 2003–January 2010. These floats were programmed to execute 5-day cycles, to drift at a neutral parking depth of 350 m and measure temperature and salinity profiles from either 700 or 2000 m up to the surface. At the end of each cycle the floats remained at the sea surface for about 6 h, enough time to be localised and transmit the data to the Argos satellite system. The Argos positions were used to determine the float surface and intermediate displacements. At the surface, the float motion was approximated by a linear displacement and inertial motion. Intermediate velocities estimates were used to investigate the Mediterranean circulation at 350 m, to compute the pseudo-Eulerian statistics and to study the influence of bathymetry on the intermediate currents. Maximum speeds, as large as 33 cm/s, were found northeast of the Balearic Islands (western basin) and in the Ierapetra eddy (eastern basin). Typical speeds in the main along-slope currents (Liguro-Provençal-Catalan, Algerian and Libyo-Egyptian Currents) were ~20 cm/s. In the central and western part of Mediterranean basin, the pseudo-Eulerian statistics show typical intermediate circulation pathways which can be related to the motion of Levantine Intermediate Water. In general our results agree with the qualitative intermediate circulation schemes proposed in the literature, except in the southern Ionian where we found westward-flowing intermediate currents. Fluctuating currents appeared to be usually larger than the mean flow. Intermediate currents were found to be essentially parallel to the isobaths over most of the areas characterized by strong bathymetry gradients, in particular, in the vicinity of the continental slopes.