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Catastrophic meltwater drainage from glacial Lake Agassiz has been hypothesized as a trigger for large‐scale ocean circulation change initiating the Younger Dryas cold reversal. Here we quantify the flood discharge that formed the northwestern outlet of Lake Agassiz using a one‐dimensional step‐backwater model and a zero‐dimension gradual‐incision model. Applying these two independent models, we estimate a peak discharge range of 1.8–2.5 × 106 m3 s−1 and a flood volume of ∼21,000 km3. Such a discharge can only be derived from Lake Agassiz rather than one of the two smaller regional glacial lakes: Churchill or Meadow. When coupled with existing ice margin chronologies, these results demonstrate that the northwestern outlet of Lake Agassiz provides a viable link for catastrophic meltwater to drain to the Arctic Ocean over a 6–9 month period during the Younger Dryas, though it is unclear whether this was near its beginning. Plain Language Summary: The Younger Dryas was a short‐lived interval of cooling that interrupted warming during the last deglaciation. The cause of this rapid change in climate is debated. One suggestion is the drainage of meltwater from glacial Lake Agassiz, a large ice‐dammed lake in central North America, into the surrounding oceans may have affected ocean circulation, contributing to this climatic event. Here we model the discharge of water from the northwestern outlet of this lake. We estimate the discharge and demonstrate the connection between Lake Agassiz and the Arctic Ocean during the Younger Dryas. Key Points: Peak discharge modeled for the northwestern outlet of glacial Lake AgassizMagnitude of drainage estimated at 1.8–2.5 × 106 m3 s−1 (1.8–2.5 Sv)Northwestern outlet of glacial Lake Agassiz provides a viable link for catastrophic meltwater to the Arctic Ocean during the Younger Dryas [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Negative pressure therapy (TPN) has been used for the treatment of complex wounds associated with tissue loss for approximately 20 years, and its usefulness in pediatric patients has been observed. Material and Methods. A cross-sectional, retrospective, descriptive study was carried out, the data were collected through the clinical file of patients treated with this method, including in the study regardless of the reason for which TPN was applied. Results. A total of seven patients with complex wounds, of different dimensions, and involving different anatomical regions, with an important loss of tissue were included. Three of the patients suffered injuries secondary to multiple injuries, including traumatic amputations, two due to contaminated wound dehiscence, one patient with decubitus ulceration and one patient with Fournier gangrene. After the start with TPN patients were kept negative cultures during their treatment, in addition to maintaining antibiotic therapy based on clindamycin, except one of the patients, in which positive culture was reported prior to placement of TPN with Pseudomonas isolated germ Aeruginosa, which required broad spectrum management. None of the patients presented complications associated with TPN, all developed an adequate granulation tissue favoring early closure. Three of the patients underwent wound closure with a flap rotation. And four by third intention. Discussion. Through the observed results, treatment with TPN is safe and effective, since in our study there were no complications or morbidities allowing its early repair as part of the joint management with the use of antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: China is in the midst of the nutrition transition with increasing rates of obesity and dietary changes. One contributor is the increase in fast food chains within the country. The purpose of this study was to develop a theory-based instrument that explores influencing factors of fast food consumption in adolescents residing in Beijing, China. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Value expectancy and theory of planned behaviour were utilised to explore influencing factors of fast food consumption in the target population. There were 201 Chinese adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18. Cronbach's alpha correlation coefficients were used to examine internal reliability of the theory-based questionnaire. Bivariate correlations and a MANOVA were utilised to determine the relationship between theory-based constructs, body mass index (BMI)-for-age and fast food intake frequency as well as to determine differences in theory-based scores among fast food consumption frequency groupings. Results: The theory-based questionnaire showed good reliability. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the theory-based subcategory scores between fast food frequency groups. A significant positive correlation was observed between times per week fast food was consumed and each theory-based subscale score. Using BMI-for-age of 176 participants, 81% were normal weight and 19% were considered overweight or obese. Results showed consumption of fast food to be on average 1.50 ± 1.33 per week. The relationship between BMI-for-age and times per week fast food was consumed was not significant. Conclusions: As the nutrition transition continues and fast food chains expand, it is important to explore factors effecting fast food consumption in China. Interventions targeting influencing factors can be developed to encourage healthy dietary choice in the midst of this transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaponics has been considered as having great potential as an organic production method of aquatic organisms and vegetables, because the nutrient-rich water from aquatic organisms is utilized for plant growth. The essential elements of an aquaponic system consist of the following five: a tank to maintain aquatic organisms; a clarifier or sedimentation; a biofilter; a hydroponic component; and a sump pump. In this paper, we propose the design and implementation of a nutrient film technique-type aquaponic system, which does not include the sump pump. Aquaponic systems were tested during one production cycle of the Carolina cucumber ( Cucumis sativus) and Parris Island lettuce ( Lactuca sativa). The aquatic organism employed was tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus). Nine systems were utilized with the aquaponic technique, and the remaining three were utilized with only the hydroponic technique as controls in plant production. The proposed aquaponic system worked efficiently during the entire crop cycle without any problems or deficiencies from lack sump. No changes were made in the flow of water in the aquaponic system during the growing season. Tilapia survival was 97.2 ± 2.4 %. Specific growth and food conversion ratios were 4.95 and 0.99, respectively. In plant survival, there were no significant differences ( p > 0.05) between both production techniques. In lettuce, foliar wet weight, foliar dry weight, and yield were higher ( p < 0.05) in hydroponics. In cucumber, fruit number and yield were higher ( p < 0.05) in the hydroponic system. Fruit length, width, and weight exhibited no differences ( p > 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Messinian salinity crisis (5.96 to 5.33 million years ago) was caused by reduced water inflow from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea resulting in widespread salt precipitation and a decrease in Mediterranean sea level of about 1.5 kilometres due to evaporation. The reduced connectivity between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean at the time of the salinity crisis is thought to have resulted from tectonic uplift of the Gibraltar arc seaway and global sea-level changes, both of which control the inflow of water required to compensate for the hydrological deficit of the Mediterranean. However, the different timescales on which tectonic uplift and changes in sea level occur are difficult to reconcile with the long duration of the shallow connection between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic needed to explain the large amount of salt precipitated. Here we use numerical modelling to show that seaway erosion caused by the Atlantic inflow could sustain such a shallow connection between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean by counteracting tectonic uplift. The erosion and uplift rates required are consistent with previous mountain erosion studies, with the present altitude of marine sediments in the Gibraltar arc and with geodynamic models suggesting a lithospheric slab tear underneath the region. The moderate Mediterranean sea-level drawdown during the early stages of the Messinian salinity crisis can be explained by an uplift of a few millimetres per year counteracted by similar rates of erosion due to Atlantic inflow. Our findings suggest that the competition between uplift and erosion can result in harmonic coupling between erosion and the Mediterranean sea level, providing an alternative mechanism for the cyclicity observed in early salt precipitation deposits and calling into question previous ideas regarding the timing of the events that occurred during the Messinian salinity crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mediterranean Sea became disconnected from the world’s oceans and mostly desiccated by evaporation about 5.6 million years ago during the Messinian salinity crisis. The Atlantic waters found a way through the present Gibraltar Strait and rapidly refilled the Mediterranean 5.33 million years ago in an event known as the Zanclean flood. The nature, abruptness and evolution of this flood remain poorly constrained. Borehole and seismic data show incisions over 250 m deep on both sides of the Gibraltar Strait that have previously been attributed to fluvial erosion during the desiccation. Here we show the continuity of this 200-km-long channel across the strait and explain its morphology as the result of erosion by the flooding waters, adopting an incision model validated in mountain rivers. This model in turn allows us to estimate the duration of the flood. Although the available data are limited, our findings suggest that the feedback between water flow and incision in the early stages of flooding imply discharges of about 108 m3 s-1 (three orders of magnitude larger than the present Amazon River) and incision rates above 0.4 m per day. Although the flood started at low water discharges that may have lasted for up to several thousand years, our results suggest that 90 per cent of the water was transferred in a short period ranging from a few months to two years. This extremely abrupt flood may have involved peak rates of sea level rise in the Mediterranean of more than ten metres per day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some quantitative behavioral studies in the USA have concluded that bisexually behaving Latino men are less likely than White men to disclose to their female partners that they have engaged in same-sex risk behavior and/or are HIV-positive, presumably exposing female partners to elevated risk for HIV infection. Nevertheless, very little theoretical or empirical research has been conducted to understand the social factors that promote or inhibit sexual risk disclosure among Latino men who have sex with men (MSM), and much of the existing literature has neglected to contextualize disclosure patterns within broader experiences of stigma and social inequality. This paper examines decisions about disclosure of sex work, same-sex behavior, and sexual risk for HIV among male sex workers in two cities in the Dominican Republic. Data derive from long-term ethnography and qualitative in-depth interviews with 72 male sex workers were used to analyze the relationships among experiences of stigma, social inequality, and patterns of sexual risk disclosure. Thematic analysis of interviews and ethnographic evidence revealed a wide range of stigma management techniques utilized by sex workers to minimize the effects of marginality due to their engagement in homosexuality and sex work. These techniques imposed severe constraints on men's sexual risk disclosure, and potentially elevated their own and their female partners' vulnerability to HIV infection. Based on the study's findings, we conclude that future studies of sexual risk disclosure among ethnic minority MSM should avoid analyzing disclosure as a decontextualized variable, and should seek to examine sexual risk communication as a dynamic social process constrained by hierarchical systems of power and inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Basin formation dynamics of the Tertiary Piedmont Basin (TPB) are here investigated by means of cross-section numerical modelling. Previous works hypothesised that basin subsidence occurred due first to extension (Oligocene) and then to subsequent loading due to back-thrusting (Miocene). However, structural evidence shows that the TPB was mainly under contraction from Oligocene until post Pliocene time while extension played a minor role. Furthermore, thermal indicators strongly call for a cold (flexure-induced) mechanism but are strictly inconsistent with a hot (thermally induced) mechanism. Our new modelling shows that the TPB stratigraphic features can be reproduced by flexure of a visco-elastic plate loaded by back-thrusts active in the Western Alps in Oligo-Miocene times. Far-field compression contributed to the TPB subsidence and controlled the basin infill geometry by enhancing basin tilting, forebulge uplift and erosion of the southern margin of the basin. These results suggest that the TPB subsidence is the result of a combination of mechanisms including thrust loading and far-field compressional stresses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The objective of the paper was to describe awareness of HIV medications and HIV viral load, and to assess the impact of HIV medications (including highly active antiretroviral therapy) and notions of viral load on sexual risk practices. This was an exploratory cross-sectional study of a non-random sample of 395 homosexually active Latino men in New York City. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was used focusing on perceptions about HIV/AIDS, HIV treatment medications and viral load, risk perceptions, HIV status, and sexual partners and practices in the past 6 months. HIV-positive participants taking HIV medications, those who knew their viral loads, and those who had undetectable viral loads did not report significantly different frequencies of high-risk (receptive or insertive) unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) in comparison to other HIV-positive individuals in the sample. Perceptions about HIV status (assuming same status) and viral load (penetrating partner or letting partner penetrate one) were related to significantly higher high-risk UAI in the past 6 months. HIV prevention strategies for homosexually active Latino men should not only address the basic issue of assuming similar HIV status but also need to examine misconstructions of the transmissibility of HIV as a result of undetectable viral load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been widely documented that the depth of foredeeps does not always reflect the topography of the neighboring orogens. In many cases, the topographic load is insufficient to explain basin subsidence. Such is the case of the SE Carpathians where an anomalously deep (almost 13 km) foreland basin has evolved since the Middle Miocene (Badenian). A peculiar feature of this basin is its position relative to the orogen. In contrast to typical foredeeps, which deepen towards the belt, the maximum depth of this basin is 10–20 km out of the orogen. The subsidence in the Carpathians Bend foreland is characterized by two stages: the first is Middle Miocene (Badenian) in age and is related to NE–SW extension when fault-bounded basins were formed. Modeling shows that the foreland underwent small pre-orogenic uniform thinning. The modeling also predicts <100 m post-rift subsidence in accordance with the regional unconformity observed at the Middle/Upper Miocene (Badenian/Sarmatian) boundary. The second subsidence stage follows rifting and is caused by flexural loading of the Carpathians nappes. According to the planform flexural modeling results, the location of depocenter in front of the Carpathians Bend in the latter contractional stage can be accounted for by the present topography if lateral variations in lithospheric strength are taken into account. Since the depth of the predicted basin is half of what is actually observed, an extra-load is required, which is equivalent to 500–800 m in terms of extra topography. In this case, the predicted basin corresponds with the observed geometry in terms of position/shape and depth, the latter depending on the magnitude of intraplate stresses as well. The modeling also suggests that the flexural fore-bulge of the Carpathians system is represented by the uplifted Dobrogea. Our explanation for the large subsidence recorded by the SE Carpathians foredeep highlights the control exerted by lateral changes in lithospheric strength on 3-D subsidence patterns in arcuate orogenic belts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We present a mesoscale elastoplastic model of creep in disordered materials, which considers temperature-dependent stochastic activation of localized deformation events that are coupled by internal stresses, leading to collective avalanche dynamics. We generalize this stochastic plasticity model by introducing damage in terms of a local strength that decreases, on statistical average, with increasing local plastic strain. The model captures failure in terms of strain localization in a catastrophic shear band concomitant with a finite-time singularity of the creep rate. The statistics of avalanches in the run-up to failure is characterized by a decreasing avalanche exponent τ that, at failure, approaches the value τ=1.5 typical of a critical branching process. The average avalanche rate exhibits an inverse Omori law as a function of time to failure. The distribution of interavalanche times turns out to be consistent with the epidemic-type aftershock sequences (ETAS) model of earthquake statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Adria plate and/or microplate has accommodated the differential eastward motion of Africa, Europe-Iberia, since the Jurassic times, and the subsequent convergence between Africa and Eurasia from Middle Cretaceous onwards. Its complex tectonic deformation, responsible of the development of the opposing Apennines and Dinarides thin- and thick-skinned fold and thrust belts, remains poorly constrained, fueling an ongoing debate on the original position of Adria, its pre-compressional continental width, and crustal structure. Here we tackle these uncertainties by analyzing and integrating published structural cross-sections, subsurface data and 2D lithospheric numerical models to build a 758 km long regional balanced and restored cross-sections along a SW-NE transect through the Southern Apennines and Southern Dinarides. Employing the line length method for the sedimentary cover and assuming the preservation of the pre-Triassic continental crustal area, we reconstruct the pre-compressional continental width of Adria. The unfolding of the sedimentary cover along the SW-NE cross-section results in an undeformed continental Adria microplate width of approximately 1050 km, slightly under previous estimations (1175 to 1670 km). The minimum total shortening results in 291 km: 148 km across the Southern Apennines and 143 km across the Southern Dinarides. We then calculate the Adria microplate continental crustal thickness during Middle-Late Jurassic time assuming local isostatic balance, obtaining 23 km for the eastern and central Adria sectors, based on shallow water carbonate sequences. In contrast, the western Adria sector at the Southern Apennines results in a restored pre-Triassic continental crustal thickness of only 7 km, suggesting that the middle and lower crustal layers in this sector may have been partially removed, possibly by mantle delamination during Neogene to Quaternary collisional processes. The results strongly support that the Adria microplate was located to the east of the Pelagian Basin and formed part of the African Plate around the Permian–Triassic boundary interval. • We build a present-day balanced cross-section and a restored Jurassic cross-section across the Southern Adria microplate. • We estimated minimum shortenings of 148 km and 143 km (Southern Apennines and Southern Dinarides), not including oceanic units. • The minimum continental width of the Adria microplate during the Middle-Late Jurassic was ∼1050 km. • Adria's reconstructed basement crust is ∼23 km thick in Eastern and Central segments and 7 km thick in Western Adria. • Lower parts of the crust near the Tyrrhenian Basin may have been dragged down by Neogene–Quaternary subduction-delamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The evolution of sedimentary basins separated by uplifted topographic barriers is characterised by gradual regressive deposition until one of the basins is filled and its sedimentation bypasses to the adjacent basin, defining a depositional shift. One of the critical parameters controlling these depositional shifts is sea level variation, its drop potentially triggering a depositional shift by cancelling the available accommodation space. Conversely, a sea level rise can create new accommodation space resulting in a depositional shift towards a previously overfilled basin. Here we use a three dimensional numerical model to study the sedimentary response to sea level variations of a system of two basins. In this model, a single mountainous source area is feeding an intra-continental basin that is separated by a submarine barrier from another basin with normal marine bathymetry. The sedimentary response is modelled during a cycle of sea-level drop and subsequent rebound that exposes the barrier to sub-aerial erosion. The examined parameters are the barrier height, magnitude and duration of sea level change, climate and flexural rigidity. Modelling demonstrates that shifting the bulk of sedimentation from the continental basin to the open marine environment requires some minimum magnitudes and durations of sea level drop. Moreover, given the specific geometry and parameters of our model, an intervening barrier causes a delay of up to 0.35Myr, depending on the magnitude and duration of sea level change, to the onset of an outward depositional shift when compared to a situation without a barrier. These depositional shifts depend on changes in climate, magnitude and duration of sea level change. Model results are applied to the connectivity between the Black Sea and the Dacic Basin, suggesting that depositional shifts observed during the Messinian Salinity Crisis can be explained by a sea level drop of >1000m in the Black Sea. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Pannonian and Dacic Basins in SE Europe are presently connected by the Danube River across the South Carpathians, to which they are in a back-arc and foreland position respectively. Part of the Paratethys realm during the Neogene, open water communication between the basins was interrupted by the Late Miocene uplift of the Carpathians. Different mechanisms have been proposed for the formation of the Danube gateway: capture of the upstream lake or an upstream river or incision of an antecedent river. Estimates on its age range from Late Miocene to Quaternary. A related issue is the effect of the large Mediterranean sea level fall related to the Messinian Salinity Crisis on the Paratethys subbasins, specifically the “isolated” Pannonian Basin. In a synthetic numerical modelling study, using a pseudo-3D code integrating tectonics, surface processes and isostasy, we addressed the causes and effects of changes in connectivity between two large sedimentary basins separated by an elevated barrier. Specifically, we aimed to find the expression of connectivity events in the sedimentary record in general and the consequences for the evolution of the Pannonian–Dacic area in particular. We studied a range of parameters including the geometry and uplift rate of the barrier, downstream sea level change and lithosphere rigidity. We found that changes in connectivity are expressed in the sedimentary record through their effect on base level in the upstream basin and supply in the downstream basin. The most important factors controlling the response are the elevation difference between the basins and the upstream accommodation space at the time of reconnection. The most pronounced effect of reconnection through lake capture is predicted for a large elevation difference and limited upstream accommodation space. Downstream increase in sediment supply is dependent on the latter rather than the reconnection event itself. Of the parameters we tested, the rigidity of the lithosphere was found to be of major importance by its control on sediment loaded subsidence and generation of accommodation space. A downstream sea level change is unlikely to induce capture, but may affect the upstream lake level by enhancing incision in a pre-existing gateway. In the Pannonian–Dacic region, the mechanically weak, continuously subsiding Pannonian lithosphere allowed accommodation of significant volumes of continental sedimentation and as a consequence, transfer of excess sediment to the downstream Dacic Basin was only gradual. The Messinian sea level fall in the Dacic Basin could have been recorded in the Pannonian Basin only if a connection between the basins already existed. More detailed modelling of river incision taking into account lateral differences in erodibility in the South Carpathians will be required to give better time constraints on the formation of the Danube Gateway. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present-day lithospheric structure across the Norwegian Margin in the Vøring region is presented. The Vøring Margin is characterized by the presence of large volume of magmatic underplating, thick Mesozoic basins, and prominent crustal thinning. Results from recent deep seismic experiments in the Vøring Basin and Vøring Marginal High and 3-D gravity modelling have been implemented in a regional 2-D lithospheric transect that runs from the Norwegian Caledonian Belt to the oceanic domain, crossing the transition between the Precambrian Fennoscandian/Baltic shield and the Cenozoic northern North Atlantic oceanic lithosphere. The modelling approach integrates elevation, gravity, geoid and heat flow data under the assumptions of thermal steady-state and local isostasy. The results confirm and refine the major trends of the crustal geometry which is characterized by a Moho depth varying from about 45 km beneath the Caledonian thrusts, to 30 km beneath the Trøndelag Platform, to 20–14 km beneath the Vøring Basin and to 13 km in the oceanic domain. The lithosphere thins from the Norwegian Caledonian Belt (190 km thick) to the oceanic domain (<60 km) in a stepwise manner reflecting the progressive seawards migration of lithospheric deformation since the Paleozoic. Our lithospheric thickness results are different from those predicted by post-rift lithospheric cooling models. In the oceanic domain, observed residual bathymetry (∼600 m) is interpreted as the remaining effect of a deep seated thermal perturbation during the upper Cretaceous which would also produce a heat flow anomaly of ∼15 mW m−2. Alternatively, residual bathymetry can be interpreted in the absence of thermal anomalies as produced by depletion of the sublithospheric mantle extending down to 130–230 km depth depending on the density contrast (10–30 kg m−3). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The modes in which the lithosphere deforms during continental collision and the mechanisms involved are not well understood. While continental subduction and mantle delamination are often invoked in tectonophysical studies, these processes are difficult to be confirmed in more complex tectonic regions such as the Gibraltar Arc. We study the present‐day density and compositional structure of the lithosphere along a transect running from South Iberia to North Africa crossing the western Gibraltar Arc. This region is located in the westernmost continental segment of the African‐Eurasian plates, characterized by a diffuse transpressive plate boundary. An integrated and self‐consistent geophysical‐petrological methodology is used to model the lithosphere structure variations and the thermophysical properties of the upper mantle. The crustal structure is mainly constrained by seismic experiments and geological data, whereas the composition of the lithospheric mantle is constrained by xenolith data. The results show large lateral variations in the topography of the lithosphere‐asthenosphere boundary. We distinguish different chemical lithospheric mantle domains that reproduce the main trends of the geophysical observables and the modeled P and S wave seismic velocities. A sublithospheric body colder than the surrounding mantle is needed beneath the Betics‐Rif to adjust the measured potential fields. We link this body to the Iberian slab localized just to the east of the profile and having some effect on the geoid and Bouguer anomalies. Local isostasy allows explaining most of the topography, but an elastic thickness higher than 10 km is needed to explain local misfits between the Atlas and the Rif Mountains. Key Points: Lithosphere structure and upper mantle thermophysical properties in the Gibraltar Arc‐Atlas is obtained using an integrated geophysical‐petrological modelA sublithospheric thermo‐compositional anomaly is found across the Iberia‐Africa plate boundary (Gibraltar)The thick lithosphere beneath the Betics and Rif tectonic domain, related to the W‐E slab, pulls down the topography about 1,500 m [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plate subduction and delamination, two key processes driving plate tectonics, are thought to be controlled by the buoyancy of the lithospheric mantle relative to the underlying asthenosphere. Most mantle delamination models consider a lithospheric density higher than the asthenosphere to ensure negative buoyancy (slab pull). However, mineral physics show that the continental lithospheric mantle density is lighter than the asthenosphere, and that only its pressure-temperature-composition dependence makes it become denser and unstable when sinking adiabatically. Here, we explore the controls on buoyancy using a 2D thermal-diffusive model of plate convergence, considering five chemical compositions and tectonothermal ages, namely Archon (>2.5 Ga), Proton (2.5–1.0 Ga), Tecton (<1.0 Ga), and two oceanic lithospheric plates of 30 Ma and 120 Ma. While the advection of colder rock in oceanic-like plates always results in negative buoyancy, Protons and Tectons exhibit an ability to slowly flip from negative to positive buoyancy at low convergence rates: they first favour the sinking due to advection and then become more buoyant because they are thinner and heat up faster during subduction. In contrast, the lighter density of cratons overprints this effect and hinders delamination or subduction, regardless of the convergence rate. This may explain why Archons are more stable during the Wilson cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A ~ 1000-km-long lithospheric transect running from the North-Iberian Margin to the Alboran Basin (W-Mediterranean) is investigated. The main goal is to image the changes in the crustal and upper mantle structure occurring in: i) the North-Iberian margin, whose deformation in Alpine times gave rise to the uplift of the Cantabrian Mountains related to Iberia–Eurasia incipient subduction; ii) the Spanish Meseta, characterized by the presence of Cenozoic basins on top of a Variscan basement with weak Alpine deformation in the Central System, and localized Neogene–Quaternary deep volcanism; and iii) the Betic–Alboran system related to Africa–Iberia collision and the roll-back of the Ligurian–Tethyan domain. The modeling approach, combines potential fields, elevation, thermal, seismic, and petrological data under a self-consistent scheme. The crustal structure is mainly constrained by seismic data whereas the upper mantle is constrained by tomographic models. The results highlight the lateral variations in the topography of the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB), suggesting a strong lithospheric mantle strain below the Cantabrian and Betic mountain belts. The LAB depth ranges from 180 km beneath the Cantabrian Mountains to 135–110 km beneath Iberia Meseta deepening again to values of 160 km beneath the Betic Cordillera. The Central System, with a mean elevation of 1300 m, has a negligible signature on the LAB depth. We have considered four lithospheric mantle compositions: a predominantly average Phanerozoic in the continental mainland, two more fertile compositions in the Alboran Sea and in the Calatrava Volcanic Province, and a hydrated uppermost mantle in the North-Iberian Margin. These compositional differences allowed us to reproduce the main trends of the geophysical observables as well as the inferred P- and S-wave seismic velocities from tomography models and seismic experiments available in the study transect. The high mean topography of Iberia can be partly consistent with a low-velocity/high-temperature/low-density layer in the sublithospheric mantle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last decade, the interaction of deep processes in the lithosphere and mantle with surface processes (erosion, climate, sea-level, subsidence, glacio-isostatic readjustment) has been the subject of heated discussion. The use of a multidisciplinary approach linking geology, geophysics, geodesy, modelling, and geotechnology has led to the awareness of coupled deep and surface processes. Deep earth dynamics (topography, erosion, tectonics) are strongly connected to natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis; sedimentary mass transfers have important consequences on isostatic movements and on georesources, geothermal energy repartitions. The ability to read and understand the link between deep Earth dynamics and surface processes has therefore important societal impacts. Ground-truthing at carefully-selected sites of investigation is imperative to better understand these connections. Due to its youth (<30 Ma) and its subsidence history, the almost land-locked Gulf of Lion–Sardinia continental margins system provides a unique record of sedimentary deposition from the Miocene to present. Due to its high subsidence rate, palaeoclimatic variations, tectonic events and vertical evolution are all recorded here at very high resolution. The late Miocene isolation and desiccation of the Mediterranean, the youngest and most catastrophic event, the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC), induced drastic changes in marine environments: widespread deposition of evaporite (gypsum, anhydrite and halite) in the central basin, and intense subaerial erosion along its periphery. These extraordinary mass transfers from land to sea induced strong isostatic re-adjustments that are archived in the sedimentary record and represent a window to the lithospheric rheology and the deep processes. The GOLD (Gulf of Lion Drilling) project, proposes to explore this unique sedimentary record as well as the nature of the deep crustal structure, providing valuable information about the mechanisms underlying vertical motions in basins and their margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY The aim of this work is to propose a first-order estimate of the crustal and lithospheric mantle geometry of the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone and to separate the measured Bouguer anomaly into its regional and local components. The crustal and lithospheric mantle structure is calculated from the geoid height and elevation data combined with thermal analysis. Our results show that Moho depth varies from ∼42 km at the Mesopotamian-Persian Gulf foreland basin to ∼60 km below the High Zagros. The lithosphere is thicker beneath the foreland basin (∼200 km) and thinner underneath the High Zagros and Central Iran (∼140 km). Most of this lithospheric mantle thinning is accommodated under the Zagros mountain belt coinciding with the suture between two different mantle domains on the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone. The regional gravity field is obtained by calculating the gravimetric response of the 3-D crustal and lithospheric mantle structure obtained by combining elevation and geoid data. The calculated regional Bouguer anomaly differs noticeably from those obtained by filtering or just isostatic methods. The residual gravity anomaly, obtained by subtraction of the regional components to the measured field, is analyzed in terms of the dominating upper crustal structures. Deep basins and areas with salt deposits are characterized by negative values (∼−20 mGal), whereas the positive values are related to igneous and ophiolite complexes and shallow basement depths (∼20 mGal). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Net-depositional submarine canyons are common in continental slope strata, but how they survive and prograde on constructional margins is poorly understood. In this study we present field evidence for the coevolution of a submarine canyon and the adjacent continental slope. Using a three-dimensional seismic data cube that images the Ebro margin (northwest Mediterranean), we identify a preserved canyon on a middle Pleistocene paleosurface and relate it directly to its expression on the present-day seafloor. A subparallel stacking pattern of seismic reflectors, similar to that seen between prograding clinoforms in intercanyon areas, is observed between the modern and paleocanyon thalwegs. The concavity of the modern long profile differs from the convex-concave long profile on the middle Pleistocene surface, suggesting a long-term change in canyon sedimentation. We interpret this change as a shift to a canyon dominated by turbidity currents from one strongly influenced by the pattern of sedimentation that built the open-slope canyon interfluves. We find support for our interpretation in previous studies of the Ebro margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Patterns of distribution, key biometric parameters and home range extent were determined for hawksbill turtles at Lighthouse Reef Atoll (LRA), Belize over two field seasons (16days, 2009; 30days, 2010). Relative abundance was determined using 49 sightings transects (≈1km) distributed across the atoll and of all turtles encountered (n=68), 91% were immature (CCLmin ≤65cm). Habitat type was significantly correlated with abundance, with more turtles encountered on the coral reef than in the lagoon (GzLMM, χ2 2 =6.85, p<0.05; CPUE reef=1.41turtlesh−1, CPUE lagoon=0.62turtlesh−1). Hawksbills were also significantly more abundant within protected areas (GzLMM, χ2 1 =8.69, p<0.05; CPUE Blue Hole Natural Monument (BHNM)=2.96turtlesperson−1 h−1; CPUE Half Moon Caye Natural Monument (HMCNM)=2.34turtlesh−1; outside boundaries=0.88 turtlesh−1). Of 26 captures, 19 focal individuals were equipped with ultrasonic transmitters for active acoustic telemetry, and tracked for 6–25days (n=10, 2009; n=9, 2010). Spatial habitat utilisation was found to be highly variable, with large areas of overlap between distinct home ranges. Home range averaged 31.2ha±32.6 (range 5.1–111.3ha) for the juveniles that were successfully tracked (n=15), with maximum displacement in the order of 1.8km±1.0 (range 0.5–4.0km) and net displacement at 1.2km±0.9. This offshore atoll constitutes an important developmental habitat for the regional population and although our tracking durations were limited, home range of juvenile hawksbills at this site is significantly more expansive than that documented elsewhere. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Quantified balanced and restored crustal cross-sections across the NW Zagros Mountains are presented in this work integrating geological and geophysical local and global datasets. The balanced crustal cross-section reproduces the surficial folding and thrusting of the thick cover succession, including the near top of the Sarvak Formation (~90 Ma) that forms the top of the restored crustal cross-section. The base of the Arabian crust in the balanced cross-section is constrained by recently published seismic receiver function results showing a deepening of the Moho from 42 ± 2 km in the undeformed foreland basin to 56 ± 2 km beneath the High Zagros. The internal parts of the deformed crustal cross-section are constrained by new seismic tomographic sections imaging a ~50° NE-dipping sharp contact between the Arabian and Iranian crusts. These surfaces bound an area of 10800 km2 that should be kept constant during the Zagros orogeny. The Arabian crustal cross-section is restored using six different tectonosedimentary domains according to their sedimentary facies and palaeobathymetries, and assuming Airy isostasy and area conservation. While the two southwestern domains were directly determined from well-constrained surface data, the reconstruction of the distal domains to the NE was made using the recent margin model of Wrobel-Daveau et al. (2010) and fitting the total area calculated in the balanced cross-section. The Arabian continental–oceanic boundary, at the time corresponding to the near top of the Sarvak Formation, is located 169 km to the NE of the trace of the Main Recent Fault. Shortening is estimated at ~180 km for the cover rocks and ~149 km for the Arabian basement, including all compressional events from Late Cretaceous to Recent time, with an average shortening rate of ~2 mm yr−1 for the last 90 Ma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To date, research on neotectonics and related continental topography development has mostly focused on active plate boundaries characterized by generally high deformation rates. The intraplate sedimentary basins and rifts of the Northern Alpine foreland are associated with a much higher level of neotectonic activity than hitherto assumed. Seismicity and stress indicator data, combined with geodetic and geomorphologic observations, demonstrate that Europe''s intraplate lithosphere is being actively deformed. This has major implications for the assessment of its natural hazards and environmental degradation. The lithosphere of the Northern Alpine foreland has undergone a polyphase evolution with an intense interplay between upper mantle thermal perturbations and stress-induced intraplate deformation that points to the importance of lithospheric folding of the thermally weakened lithosphere. In this paper, we address relationships between deeper lithospheric processes, neotectonics and surface processes in the Northern Alpine foreland with special emphasis on tectonically induced topography. The objectives are to quantify the effects of ongoing Alpine collision and Atlantic ridge-push on the intraplate deformation in Europe and its impact on topography evolution and related natural hazards. This paper reviews the four-dimensional topographic evolution of the European lithosphere through a multi-disciplinary approach linking geology, geophysics and geotechnology. Until now, research on neotectonics and related topography development of intraplate regions has received little attention. Our study examines a number of selected natural laboratories in continental Europe. From orogen through platform to continental margin, these natural laboratories include the Carpathians–Pannonian system, the Northwest European Platform, Iberia and the Atlantic continental margin. We focus on lithosphere memory and neotectonics with special attention to the thermo-mechanical structure of the lithosphere, mechanisms of large-scale intraplate deformation, Late-Neogene anomalies in subsidence and uplift, and links with surface processes and topography evolution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the design process of array antennas, coupling is one of the most important elements to be considered. The real feeding-radiated coefficients can be quite different from the theoretical ones because of this effect. In this paper, a characterization method is presented that allows each element to be matched from the array. All the parameters of the array-coupling model are obtained through the measurement of scattering parameters and radiation patterns. Two practical applications for a linear patch array are presented. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 43: 59–64, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20375 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seventeen aggressive adolescents were randomly assigned to a massage therapy group or a relaxation therapy group to receive 20-minute therapy sessions, twice a week for five weeks. The massaged adolescents had lower anxiety after the first and last sessions. By the end of the study, they also reported feeling less hostile and they were perceived by their parents as being less aggressive. Significant differences were not found for the adolescents who were assigned to the relaxation group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the considerable repercussions on the sedimentary and erosional regime of the Ebro Basin. Mode of isostatic compensation; Effect of lithospheric stretching in the Valencia Trough; Complexities of the polyphase evolution in the Iberian Peninsula.

The dimensions, the geographical position and the complex geological history of the Iberian Peninsula makes it a unique and singular target to study its crustal and upper mantle structure and geodynamical evolution using geophysical methods. The lithospheric structure beneath Iberia has been investigated since the 1970's using deep multichannel seismic reflection and refraction/wide-angle reflection profiling. Gravimetric and magnetic data were acquired following the deployment of permanent and temporary stations, mostly during the 1990's. Beginning in the late 1990's, the progressive use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) instruments contributed to monitor the present-day motions. During the last decades, numerous geological and geophysical surveys have investigated the Iberian lithosphere and upper mantle in the onshore and offshore regions, the most recent ones related to the TopoIberia project. The approach developed in this contribution is twofold. Firstly, we summarize the available geophysical information over Iberia, from focusing on the upper crust to the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary and the transition zone marking the bottom of the upper mantle. Results of GNSS data, potential fields, controlled source seismic profiles, magnetotelluric data, body and surface wave tomography, receiver functions and 2D and 3D lithospheric modeling are reviewed and compared. Secondly, we focus on the areas of greater geodynamic interest and the regions where inconsistencies within the geophysical results, or contradictions in their tectonic interpretation exist, identifying the major questions that are still under debate. Besides shedding light to the state of knowledge and pointing out present-day research challenges, this review provides a tool for the integration of the diverse geophysical datasets with the surface geology and geodynamical processes that are interpreted to have built the complex geology of the Iberian Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deception Island (South Shetland Islands) is one of the most active volcanoes in Antarctica, with more than 20 explosive eruptive events registered over the past centuries. Recent eruptions (1967, 1969, and 1970) and volcanic unrest episodes (1992, 1999, and 2014–2015) demonstrate that volcanic activity is likely occurring in the future. This is of special concern for scientists, logistic personnel, and tourists, since the South Shetland Islands are an important tourist destination and host numerous year-round and seasonal scientific stations and base camps. Significant efforts have been made to understand the complex magmatic and volcanic evolution of Deception Island with special interest on its subaerial part. However, studies on submerged volcanic cones within Port Foster, the sea-flooded part of Deception Island's caldera depression, are comparatively scarce. Here, we provide a full characterization of Stanley Patch volcano, the largest of these volcanic edifices. Estimated morphometric parameters based on new multibeam bathymetric data, supported by petrographic and chemical observations from rock samples collected on the crater rim, reveal that Stanley Patch volcano grew in a subaerial environment. This result, combined with previous findings and new sedimentological evidence from our ultra-high resolution seismic profiles, allow to further detail the island's geologic evolution since the caldera collapse. We conclude that the complete flooding of Port Foster could have only occurred after the formation of Stanley Patch volcano, i.e. during the last ~2000 years, and in a time period of a few days or less. [Display omitted] • Deception Island is among the most active volcanoes in Antarctica. • Stanley Patch volcano, currently below sea level, grew in a subaerial environment. • The flooding of Port Foster occurred during the last 2000 years. • Deception Island's caldera flooded in less than few days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The late Miocene evolution of the Mediterranean Basin is characterized by major changes in connectivity, climate and tectonic activity resulting in unprecedented environmental and ecological disruptions. During the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC, 5.97-5.33 Ma) this culminated in most scenarios first in the precipitation of gypsum around the Mediterranean margins (Stage 1, 5.97-5.60 Ma) and subsequently > 2 km of halite on the basin floor, which formed the so-called Mediterranean Salt Giant (Stage 2, 5.60-5.55 Ma). The final MSC Stage 3, however, was characterized by a "low-salinity crisis", when a second calcium-sulfate unit (Upper Gypsum; substage 3.1, 5.55-5.42 Ma) showing (bio)geochemical evidence of substantial brine dilution and brackish biota-bearing terrigenous sediments (substage 3.2 or Lago-Mare phase, 5.42-5.33 Ma) deposited in a Mediterranean that received relatively large amounts of riverine and Paratethys-derived low-salinity waters. The transition from hypersaline evaporitic (halite) to brackish facies implies a major change in the Mediterranean's hydrological regime. However, even after nearly 50 years of research, causes and modalities are poorly understood and the original scientific debate between a largely isolated and (partly) desiccated Mediterranean or a fully connected and filled basin is still vibrant. Here we present a comprehensive overview that brings together (chrono)stratigraphic, sedimentological, paleontological, geochemical and seismic data from all over the Mediterranean. We summarize the paleoenvironmental, paleohydrological and paleoconnectivity scenarios that arose from this cross-disciplinary dataset and we discuss arguments in favour of and against each scenario. • We review onshore and offshore data from Stage 3 (5.55-5.33 Ma) of the Mediterranean Messinian Salinity Crisis. • Sedimentological, seismic, paleontological and geochemical data are summarized and evaluated. • Non-marine contributions from Paratethys and rivers dominated the hydrological budget. • A clear paleontological imprint of Atlantic inflow is missing. • Two end member models, isolated and half-full, density-stratified Mediterranean, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]