On September 12, 2019 at 12:49:48 (UT) a bolide was observed by hundreds of eye-witnesses from the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and the UK. One day later a small meteorite stone was found ...by accident in Flensburg. The presence of short-lived cosmogenic radionuclides with half-lives as short as 16 days proves the recent exposure of the found object to cosmic rays in space linking it clearly to the bolide event. An exceptionally short exposure time of ∼5000 years was determined. The 24.5 g stone has a fresh black fusion crust, a low density of <2 g/cm3, and a magnetic susceptibility of logχ = 4.35 (χ in 10−9 m3/kg). The rock consists of relict chondrules and clusters of sulfide and magnetite grains set in a fine-grained matrix. The most abundant phases are phyllosilicates. Carbonates (∼3.9 vol.%) occur as calcites, dolomites, and a Na-rich phase. The relict chondrules (often surrounded by sulfide laths) are free of anhydrous silicates and contain abundant serpentine. Lithic clasts are also surrounded by similar sulfide laths partly intergrown with carbonates. 53Mn-53Cr ages of carbonates in Flensburg indicate that brecciation and contemporaneous formation of the pyrrhotite-carbonate intergrowths by hydrothermal activities occurred no later than 4564.6 ± 1.0 Ma (using the angrite D'Orbigny as the Mn-Cr age anchor). This corresponds to 2.6 ± 1.0 or 3.4 ± 1.0 Ma after formation of CAIs, depending on the exact absolute age of CAIs. This is the oldest dated evidence for brecciation and carbonate formation, which likely occurred during parent body growth and incipient heating due to decay of 26Al.
In the three oxygen isotope diagram, Flensburg plots at the 16O-rich end of the CM chondrite field and in the transition field to CV-CK-CR chondrites. The mass-dependent Te isotopic composition of Flensburg is slightly different from mean CM chondrites and is most similar to those of the ungrouped C2 chondrite Tagish Lake. On the other hand, 50Ti and 54Cr isotope anomalies indicate that Flensburg is similar to CM chondrites, as do the ∼10 wt.% H2O of the bulk material. Yet, the bulk Zn, Cu, and Pb concentrations are about 30% lower than those of mean CM chondrites. The He, Ne, and Ar isotopes of Flensburg show no solar wind contribution; its trapped noble gas signature is similar to that of CMs with a slightly lower concentration of 20Netr.
Based on the bulk H, C, and N elemental abundances and isotopic compositions, Flensburg is unique among chondrites, because it has the lightest bulk H and N isotopic compositions of any type 1 or 2 chondrite investigated so far. Moreover, the number of soluble organic compounds in Flensburg is even lower than that of the brecciated CI chondrite Orgueil.
The extraordinary significance of Flensburg is evident from the observation that it represents the oldest chondrite sample in which the contemporaneous episodes of aqueous alteration and brecciation have been preserved. The characterization of a large variety of carbonaceous chondrites with different alteration histories is important for interpreting returned samples from the OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa 2 missions.
As evolutionary relationships within the order Acipenseriformes are not well understood and some classifications are currently controversial, the study of evolutionary relationships, especially based ...on genetic data, has received much recent attention. In this reanalysis we present a nearly complete proposed phylogeny of the order, including 25 species, based on the maximum likelihood analysis of combined DNA sequence data (4406 base pairs) from five mitochondrial genes sequenced in our laboratories (cytochrome b, 12S rRNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit II, tRNAAsp and tRNAPhe) and three mitochondrial gene regions sequenced by Birstein et al. (2002) (16S rRNA, NADH5 and control region). Examination of the molecular phylogeny using either maximum likelihood, Bayesian analysis, maximum parsimony or neighbor-joining leads to the following conclusions: (i) the two species of paddlefish do form a clade; (ii) the most basal position within the Acipenseridae remains unresolved, held either by the genus Scaphirhynchus or by the clade containing Acipenser oxyrinchus and A. sturio; (iii) Huso is not monophyletic, with the two species of Huso found embedded separately within the genus Acipenser; (iv) A. sinensis and A. dabryanus are confirmed as closely related; (v) the previously described Atlantic-Pacific subdivision within the Acipenser/Huso complex is supported and (vi) the unexpected placement of Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni within Acipenser is supported by this analysis. These results offer further evidence that some revision of acipenseriform classification may be needed to accurately inform conservation efforts and that future phylogenetic studies of this group should focus on the analysis of nuclear genes.
Purpose We sought to identify causative nongenetic and genetic risk factors for the bladder exstrophy-epispadias complex. Materials and Methods A total of 237 families with the bladder ...exstrophy-epispadias complex were invited to participate in the study, and information was obtained from 214 families, mainly from European countries. Results Two families showed familial occurrence. Male predominance was found among all subgroups comprising epispadias, classic bladder exstrophy and cloacal exstrophy, with male-to-female ratios of 1.4:1, 2.8:1 and 2.0:1, respectively (p = 0.001). No association with parental age, maternal reproductive history or periconceptional maternal exposure to alcohol, drugs, chemical noxae, radiation or infections was found. However, periconceptional maternal exposure to smoking was significantly more common in patients with cloacal exstrophy than in the combined group of patients with epispadias/classic bladder exstrophy (p = 0.009). Only 16.8% of mothers followed the current recommendations of periconceptional folic acid supplementation, and 17.6% had started supplementation before 10 weeks of gestation. Interestingly, in the latter group mothers of patients with cloacal exstrophy were more compliant with folic acid supplementation than were mothers of the combined group of patients with epispadias/classic bladder exstrophy (p = 0.037). Furthermore, mothers of children with cloacal exstrophy knew significantly more often prenatally that their child would have a congenital malformation than did mothers of children with epispadias/classic bladder exstrophy (p <0.0001). Conclusions Our study corroborates the hypothesis that epispadias, classic bladder exstrophy and cloacal exstrophy are causally related, representing a spectrum of the same developmental defect, with a small risk of recurrence within families. Embryonic exposure to maternal smoking appears to enforce the severity, whereas periconceptional folic acid supplementation does not seem to alleviate it. There is a disproportional prenatal ultrasound detection rate between severe and mild phenotypes, possibly due to the neglect of imaging of full bladders with a focus on neural tube defects.
El Niño and La Niña Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are major drivers that affect climatic variables in many countries. Therefore, ENSO mediated variation in climatic factors have significant ...consequences for crop production. We studied ENSO mediated variations in temperature and rainfall in the five coastal districts of Bangladesh during 1951–2017, and the impacts on major crops production were analyzed using growing degree day (GDD) index. Statistical analyses were performed on different climatic parameters in relation to ENSO events and locations. Results indicate that ENSO events had significant influence on monthly, seasonal and annual temperature and rainfall amounts (p < 0.05). Specifically, maximum temperature under ENSO phases were higher during Kharif-I and Kharif-II seasons than neutral years. In contrast, the minimum temperature was higher in neutral years than ENSO events during Rabi season. Averaged across stations, annual mean maximum temperature was 0.5 and 0.23 °C higher during El Niño and La Niña compared to neutral years. Rainfall was higher during neutral years compared to El Niño and La Niña. These changes in seasonal temperature variably changed crop GDD in different locations and thus, crop growth duration and crop yield. Therefore, this study provides a general understanding to ENSO mediated impacts on coastal agriculture in Bangladesh.
Carfilzomib, a proteasome inhibitor, is approved as monotherapy and in combination with dexamethasone or lenalidomide-dexamethasone (Rd) for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The approval of ...carfilzomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone (KRd) was based on results from the randomized, phase 3 study ASPIRE (NCT01080391), which showed KRd significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) vs Rd (median 26.3 vs 17.6 months; hazard ratio (HR)=0.690; P=0.0001). This subgroup analysis of ASPIRE evaluated KRd vs Rd by number of previous lines of therapy and previous exposure to bortezomib, thalidomide or lenalidomide. Treatment with KRd led to a 12-month improvement in median PFS vs Rd after first relapse (HR 0.713) and a 9-month improvement after ⩾2 previous lines of therapy (HR 0.720). Treatment with KRd led to an approximate 8-month improvement vs Rd in median PFS in bortezomib-exposed patients (HR 0.699), a 15-month improvement in thalidomide-exposed patients (HR 0.587) and a 5-month improvement in lenalidomide-exposed patients (HR 0.796). Objective response and complete response or better rates were higher with KRd vs Rd, irrespective of previous treatment. KRd had a favorable benefit-risk profile and should be considered an appropriate treatment option for patients with 1 or ⩾2 previous lines of therapy and those previously exposed to bortezomib, thalidomide or lenalidomide.
BACKGROUND: The aim was to compare the antenatal care and the intake of vitamins and medications of infertility patients with singleton pregnancies after ICSI to women with a spontaneously conceived ...singleton pregnancy. METHODS: The data on the antenatal care of 2055 singleton pregnancies after ICSI from a prospective controlled multicentre study in Germany were analysed. The prospectively collected data of the control group of 7861 singletons were retrospectively assessed for the present analysis. RESULTS: The ICSI patients were significantly older (32.9 versus 27.0 years, P < 0.019) and more likely to be obese (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2: 13.9 versus 4.8%, P < 0.001) than the controls. The control mothers were significantly more likely to smoke (19.2%) or to consume alcohol (23.5%) during pregnancy than the ICSI mothers (7.4 and 0.6% respectively). Only 38.1% of ICSI patients took folic acid before conception. Only 61.7% of ICSI patients received an iodine supplementation at some point during pregnancy. ICSI patients went more regularly to the routine antenatal care consultations at the gynaecologist and had ultrasound examinations performed more regularly than the controls. The absolute number of ultrasound examinations was significantly higher in the ICSI group (13.6 ± 6.0 versus 4.1 ± 2.4). CONCLUSION: In spite of the intensive use of antenatal medical care by patients pregnant after ICSI, simple methods, such as the use of supplementary iodine and periconceptional folic acid, were used rarely. This indicates that counselling pregnant patients after ICSI about periconceptional and antenatal care seems to be insufficient in Germany and must be improved.
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