Climate and vegetation history of western Portugal inferred from Albian near-shore deposits (Gale Formation, Lusitanian Basin)

The late Early Cretaceous greenhouse climate has been studied intensively based on proxy data derived essentially from open marine archives. In contrast, information on continental climatic conditions and on the accompanying response of vegetation is relatively scarce, most notably owing to the stratigraphic uncertainties associated with many Lower Cretaceous terrestrial deposits. Here, we present a palynological record from Albian near-shore deposits of the Lusitanian Basin of W Portugal, which have been independently dated using Sr-isotope signals derived from low-Mg oyster shell calcite. Sr-87/Sr-86 values fluctuate between 0.707373 +/- 0.00002 and 0.707456 +/- 0.00003; absolute values and the overall stratigraphic trend match well with the global open marine seawater signature during Albian times. Based on the new Sr-isotope data, existing biostratigraphic assignments of the succession are corroborated and partly revised. Spore-pollen data provide information on the vegetation community structure and are flanked by sedimentological and clay mineralogical data used to infer the overall climatic conditions prevailing on the adjacent continent. Variations in the distribution of climate-sensitive pollen and spores indicate distinct changes in moisture availability across the studied succession with a pronounced increase in hygrophilous spores in late Early Albian times. Comparison with time-equivalent palynofloras from the Algarve Basin of southern Portugal shows pronounced differences in the xerophyte/hygrophyte ratio, interpreted to reflect the effect of a broad arid climate belt covering southern and southeastern Iberia during Early Albian times.

Peat properties and vegetation along different trophic levels on an afforested, fertilised mire

Tiivistelmä: Turpeen ominaisuudet ja kasvillisuus metsitetyn ja lannoitetun avosuon eri trofiatasoilla

New, low estimate for carbon stock in global forest vegetation based on inventory data

Abstract

Typologies textuelles et partitions musicales : dissimilarités, classification et autocorrélation

Axée dans un premier temps sur le formalisme et les méthodes, cette thèse est construite sur trois concepts formalisés: une table de contingence, une matrice de dissimilarités euclidiennes et une matrice d'échange. À partir de ces derniers, plusieurs méthodes d'Analyse des données ou d'apprentissage automatique sont exprimées et développées: l'analyse factorielle des correspondances (AFC), vue comme un cas particulier du multidimensional scaling; la classification supervisée, ou non, combinée aux transformations de Schoenberg; et les indices d'autocorrélation et d'autocorrélation croisée, adaptés à des analyses multivariées et permettant de considérer diverses familles de voisinages. Ces méthodes débouchent dans un second temps sur une pratique de l'analyse exploratoire de différentes données textuelles et musicales. Pour les données textuelles, on s'intéresse à la classification automatique en types de discours de propositions énoncées, en se basant sur les catégories morphosyntaxiques (CMS) qu'elles contiennent. Bien que le lien statistique entre les CMS et les types de discours soit confirmé, les résultats de la classification obtenus avec la méthode K- means, combinée à une transformation de Schoenberg, ainsi qu'avec une variante floue de l'algorithme K-means, sont plus difficiles à interpréter. On traite aussi de la classification supervisée multi-étiquette en actes de dialogue de tours de parole, en se basant à nouveau sur les CMS qu'ils contiennent, mais aussi sur les lemmes et le sens des verbes. Les résultats obtenus par l'intermédiaire de l'analyse discriminante combinée à une transformation de Schoenberg sont prometteurs. Finalement, on examine l'autocorrélation textuelle, sous l'angle des similarités entre diverses positions d'un texte, pensé comme une séquence d'unités. En particulier, le phénomène d'alternance de la longueur des mots dans un texte est observé pour des voisinages d'empan variable. On étudie aussi les similarités en fonction de l'apparition, ou non, de certaines parties du discours, ainsi que les similarités sémantiques des diverses positions d'un texte. Concernant les données musicales, on propose une représentation d'une partition musicale sous forme d'une table de contingence. On commence par utiliser l'AFC et l'indice d'autocorrélation pour découvrir les structures existant dans chaque partition. Ensuite, on opère le même type d'approche sur les différentes voix d'une partition, grâce à l'analyse des correspondances multiples, dans une variante floue, et à l'indice d'autocorrélation croisée. Qu'il s'agisse de la partition complète ou des différentes voix qu'elle contient, des structures répétées sont effectivement détectées, à condition qu'elles ne soient pas transposées. Finalement, on propose de classer automatiquement vingt partitions de quatre compositeurs différents, chacune représentée par une table de contingence, par l'intermédiaire d'un indice mesurant la similarité de deux configurations. Les résultats ainsi obtenus permettent de regrouper avec succès la plupart des oeuvres selon leur compositeur.

Allergic reactions following contrast material administration: nomenclature, classification, and mechanisms

In forensic pathology routine, fatal cases of contrast agent exposure can be occasionally encountered. In such situations, beyond the difficulties inherent in establishing the cause of death due to nonspecific or absent autopsy and histology findings as well as limited laboratory investigations, pathologists may face other problems in formulating exhaustive, complete reports, and conclusions that are scientifically accurate. Indeed, terminology concerning adverse drug reactions and allergy nomenclature is confusing. Some terms, still utilized in forensic and radiological reports, are outdated and should be avoided. Additionally, not all forensic pathologists master contrast material classification and pathogenesis of contrast agent reactions. We present a review of the literature covering allergic reactions to contrast material exposure in order to update used terminology, explain the pathophysiology, and list currently available laboratory investigations for diagnosis in the forensic setting.

Tire traces: discrimination and classification of pyrolysis-GC/MS profiles

Tire traces can be observed on several crime scenes as vehicles are often used by criminals. The tread abrasion on the road, while braking or skidding, leads to the production of small rubber particles which can be collected for comparison purposes. This research focused on the statistical comparison of Py-GC/MS profiles of tire traces and tire treads. The optimisation of the analytical method was carried out using experimental designs. The aim was to determine the best pyrolysis parameters regarding the repeatability of the results. Thus, the pyrolysis factor effect could also be calculated. The pyrolysis temperature was found to be five time more important than time. Finally, a pyrolysis at 650 °C during 15 s was selected. Ten tires of different manufacturers and models were used for this study. Several samples were collected on each tire, and several replicates were carried out to study the variability within each tire (intravariability). More than eighty compounds were integrated for each analysis and the variability study showed that more than 75% presented a relative standard deviation (RSD) below 5% for the ten tires, thus supporting a low intravariability. The variability between the ten tires (intervariability) presented higher values and the ten most variant compounds had a RSD value above 13%, supporting their high potential of discrimination between the tires tested. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was able to fully discriminate the ten tires with the help of the first three principal components. The ten tires were finally used to perform braking tests on a racetrack with a vehicle equipped with an anti-lock braking system. The resulting tire traces were adequately collected using sheets of white gelatine. As for tires, the intravariability for the traces was found to be lower than the intervariability. Clustering methods were carried out and the Ward's method based on the squared Euclidean distance was able to correctly group all of the tire traces replicates in the same cluster than the replicates of their corresponding tire. Blind tests on traces were performed and were correctly assigned to their tire source. These results support the hypothesis that the tested tires, of different manufacturers and models, can be discriminated by a statistical comparison of their chemical profiles. The traces were found to be not differentiable from their source but differentiable from all the other tires present in the subset. The results are promising and will be extended on a larger sample set.

Treatment implications of the emerging molecular classification system for melanoma.

Melanoma is an aggressive disease with few standard treatment options. The conventional classification system for this disease is based on histological growth patterns, with division into four subtypes: superficial spreading, lentigo maligna, nodular, and acral lentiginous. Major limitations of this classification system are absence of prognostic importance and little correlation with treatment outcomes. Recent preclinical and clinical findings support the notion that melanoma is not one malignant disorder but rather a family of distinct molecular diseases. Incorporation of genetic signatures into the conventional histopathological classification of melanoma has great implications for development of new and effective treatments. Genes of the mitogen-associated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway harbour alterations sometimes identified in people with melanoma. The mutation Val600Glu in the BRAF oncogene (designated BRAF(V600E)) has been associated with sensitivity in vitro and in vivo to agents that inhibit BRAF(V600E) or MEK (a kinase in the MAPK pathway). Melanomas arising from mucosal, acral, chronically sun-damaged surfaces sometimes have oncogenic mutations in KIT, against which several inhibitors have shown clinical efficacy. Some uveal melanomas have activating mutations in GNAQ and GNA11, rendering them potentially susceptible to MEK inhibition. These findings suggest that prospective genotyping of patients with melanoma should be used increasingly as we work to develop new and effective treatments for this disease.

What's so special about conversion disorder? A problem and a proposal for diagnostic classification.

Conversion disorder presents a problem for the revisions of DSM-IV and ICD-10, for reasons that are informative about the difficulties of psychiatric classification more generally. Giving up criteria based on psychological aetiology may be a painful sacrifice but it is still the right thing to do.