Small Extension Research Articles

Characterization and formation mechanism of the basin-marginal deltas in the Paleogene Qiongdongnan Basin, Northwestern South China Sea

In this study, based on seismic profiles, complemented with boreholes and well logs, two types of deltas are recognized in the Paleogene Qiongdongnan Basin, namely fan deltas and braided river deltas, and their temporal–spatial evolution characteristics and associated controlling factors are studied. The results show the following: (1) The base-level cycle and episodic rifting lead that the characteristics of the basin-marginal deltas vary among different system tracts, third-order sequences, and second-order sequences or rifting stages, i.e. the temporal evolution of the basin-marginal deltas. Among the different system tracts in each third-order sequences, the deltas in the lowstand system tracts are vertically thick with small horizontal extension, while those in the transgressive system tracts present retrogradation with limited vertical thickness and horizontal extension, and those in the highstand system tracts turn to present large extension and develop toplap points. Among the different third-order sequences in each rifting stage, the extension of the deltas presents a pattern “small-medium-large” from bottom to top. Among different rifting stages, the deltas also exhibit different characteristics in terms of extension and thickness, and even the type may change. (2) The paleogeomorphology controls the characteristics of the deltas in lateral space, which is mainly reflected by the fact that the gradient of the paleogeomorphology influences the scale and type of the deltas. This study will enhance our understanding of the relative influence of the controlling factors exerted on fan or braided river deltas, and aid in the exploration of the coal-measure source rocks in the Qiongdongnan Basin, which is a typical basin lacking boreholes, located in the South China Sea.

Two-Higgs-doublet models with a flavored Z2 symmetry

Two Higgs-doublet models usually consider an ad-hoc $\mathbb{Z}_2$ discrete symmetry to avoid flavor changing neutral currents. We consider a new class of two Higgs-doublet models where $\mathbb{Z}_2$ is enlarged to the symmetry group ${\cal{F}}\rtimes \mathbb{Z}_2$, i.e. an inner semi-direct product of a discrete symmetry group ${\cal{F}}$ and $\mathbb{Z}_2$. In such a scenario the symmetry constrains the Yukawa interactions but goes unnoticed by the scalar sector. In the most minimal scenario, $\mathbb{Z}_3 \rtimes \mathbb{Z}_2 = D_3$, flavor changing neutral currents mediated by scalars are absent at tree and one-loop level, while at the same time predictions to quark and lepton mixing are obtained, namely a trivial CKM matrix and a PMNS matrix (upon introduction of three heavy right-handed neutrinos) containing maximal atmospheric mixing. Small extensions allow to fully reproduce mixing parameters, including cobimaximal mixing in the lepton sector (maximal atmospheric mixing and a maximal $CP$ phase).

Parametric design of multilayered piezoelectric/piezomagnetic transducers with periodic interfacial electrodes based on fracture mechanics analysis

This paper studies the parametric design of multilayered piezoelectric/piezomagnetic (PE/PM) ceramic transducer with periodic interfacial electrodes based on fracture mechanics analysis. The analysis of multilayered PE/PM transducer under electrically actuated mode is carried out by means of solving the magneto-electroelastic problem of a PE/PM bi-layer, where the inner interfacial electrode is electrically charged and periodic conditions are used. Due to the singular stress distributed on the inner side of the electrode ends, cracks are prone to nucleate and propagate along the interfaces. The weight function method and linear superposition are used to find the Stress Intensity Factor (SIF) around the crack tip. Parametric discussion was carried out for the dependence of SIF on the layer thickness ratio as well as the position of the interfacial electrode. Analysis reveals that, under the same electric load, a thicker piezoelectric layer will lead to a lower SIF. This suggests that, for the bonded interfaces with certain fracture toughness in the piezoelectric/piezomagnetic transducer, the design with a thicker piezoelectric layer can sustain a higher threshold electric load and the transducer can accommodate more electric charges under the critical condition. However, concerning with the crack extension rate defined as the crack extension induced by per unit electric charge increase, the design with a thinner piezoelectric layer will find a lower and relative small crack extension rate, while for the case of thicker piezoelectric layer, the crack extension rate enhances significantly as crack propagates, which may lead to fatal destruction of the device.

Faster initial splitting for small characteristic composite extension degree fields

Let p be a small prime and n=n1n2>1 be a composite integer. For the function field sieve algorithm applied to Fpn, Guillevic (2019) had proposed an algorithm for initial splitting of the target in the individual logarithm phase. This algorithm generates polynomials and tests them for B-smoothness for some appropriate value of B. The amortised cost of generating each polynomial is O(n22) multiplications over Fpn1. In this work, we propose a new algorithm for performing the initial splitting which also generates and tests polynomials for B-smoothness. The advantage over Guillevic splitting is that in the new algorithm, the cost of generating a polynomial is O(nlogp⁡(1/π)) multiplications in Fp, where π is the relevant smoothness probability.

Dinâmica da cobertura florestal na Serra da Mantiqueira entre 1999 e 2017

Apesar da extensa cobertura florestal nativa, usos como pastagem extensiva e cultivo florestal também estão presentes na Área de Proteção Ambiental da Serra da Mantiqueira (APA-SM). Além disto, há também ausência de um plano de manejo, com pouco estudo ambiental sobre sua dinâmica de uso e ocupação. Este trabalho buscou avaliar a variação temporal da cobertura florestal para a APA-SM entre os anos de 1999 e 2017 utilizando interpretação de imagens orbitais dos sensores Landsat-5/TM e Landsat-8/OLI. A imagem de 1999 foi classificada com posterior atualização manual até o ano de 2017. Em seguida, buscando avaliar o nível de fragmentação das florestas nativas, foram adotadas métricas de paisagem nas imagens classificadas. Como resultado, foi diagnosticado um aumento da cobertura florestal (floresta nativa com floresta plantada) pela expansão e surgimento de novos fragmentos, enquanto que a conversão de florestas para outros usos foi baixa. Apesar disso, as florestas nativas apresentaram uma redução de seu percentual de cobertura em relação à cobertura florestal total e as métricas de paisagem evidenciaram fragmentação da floresta nativa. O significativo número de novos fragmentos de pequena extensão pode indicar, em determinados casos, prognóstico positivo para a classe de cobertura florestal nativa em crescimento, apesar da fragmentação do habitat.

Ecotoxicological effects of swine manure on Folsomia candida in subtropical soils.

The production model used in Brazilian pig farms promotes a concentration of animals in small territorial extensions, causing difficulty in disposing of the manure generated, since the economically viable alternative is to use this as an agricultural fertilizer. The objective was to evaluate the effect of swine manure doses on the biological and behavioral parameters in Folsomia candida by ecotoxicological tests. An Ultisol, Oxisol and Tropical Artificial Soil (TAS) were contaminated with 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 m3 ha-1 of swine manure, to which springtails were exposed for evaluation of mortality, and the doses 0, 10, 15, 20 and 25 m3 ha-1 of swine manure to evaluated reproduction and avoidance. Lethality was observed in all doses as well as all soils, indicating toxicity of the manure. In the reproduction tests dose since 10 m3 ha-1 caused a reduction of juveniles in all soils. Avoidance behavior was observed in all doses of the Oxisol treatments and at 20 and 25 m3 ha-1 in Ultisol treatments. However, in TAS occurred not avoidance response of F. candida. We conclude that the swine manure was toxic to F. candida and the toxicity is dependent on the soil characteristics and the manure concentrations applied.

Relativistic Newtonian Gravitation That Gives the Correct Prediction of Mercury Precession

In the past, there was an attempt to modify Newton’s gravitational theory, in a simple way, to consider relativistic effects. The approach was “abandoned” mainly because it predicted only half of Mercury’s precession. Here we will revisit this method and see how a small logical extension can lead to a relativistic Newtonian theory that predicts the perihelion precession of Mercury correctly.

Acute Type A Aortic Dissection—Replacement of Ascending Aorta, Aortic Arch and Antegrade Stenting of the Descending Thoracic Aorta Using the Thoraflex™ Hybrid Plexus Device (Terumo Aortic)—“Frozen Elephant Trunk”: The Plymouth Way!

Objectives: To describe our technique for the implantation of the Thoraflex Hybrid prosthesis for replacement of the aortic arch in a safe and reproducible way. Materials: Thoraflex™ Hybrid Plexus Device (Terumo Aortic). Design: Drawing on our own experience over the past 4 years in the management of acute type A aortic dissection, we have distilled the essentials of our “Frozen Elephant Trunk” technique which have led us through our own learning curve to the improved management of this taxing condition. Method/ Results: Small extension of the median sternotomy incision along the medial border of sternocleidomastoid muscle. End to side graft anastomosis near the origin of the left subclavian artery during cooling on bypass towards 20 degrees. Attention to cardiac protection and maintenance of cerebral perfusion during the shortened corporeal arrest period. Excellent results in 24 consecutive AAAD patients with just one hospital mortality. Conclusions: We believe we are entering a new phase in the treatment of AAAD, facilitated by the availability of a hybrid prosthesis which combines expanding stent technology with familiar surgical graft material. Our particular management of the left subclavian artery and of the cerebral circulation during implantation has contributed to an expeditious and reproducible method of treating dissection within the arch of the aorta and beyond.

Abnormal development of zebrafish after knockout and knockdown of ribosomal protein L10a

In this study, to investigate the secondary function of Rpl10a in zebrafish development, morpholino antisense oligonucleotides (MOs) were used to knock down the zebrafish ribosomal protein L10a (rpl10a). At 25 hpf (hours post-fertilization), embryos injected with the rpl10a MO showed an abnormal morphology, including short bodies, curved tails, and small yolk sac extensions. We observed pigment reductions, edema, larger yolk sacs, smaller eyes and smaller yolk sac extensions at 50 hpf. In addition, reductions in the expression of primordial germ cell (PGC) marker genes (nanos1 and vasa) were observed in rpl10a knockdown embryos. A rescue experiment using a rpl10a mRNA co-injection showed the recovery of the morphology and red blood cell production similar to wild-type. Moreover, the CRISPR-Cas9 system was used to edit the sequence of rpl10a exon 5, resulting in a homozygous 5-bp deletion in the zebrafish genome. The mutant embryos displayed a morphology similar to that of the knockdown animals. Furthermore, the loss of rpl10a function led to reduced expression of gata1, hbae3, and hbbe1 (erythroid synthesis) and increased tp53 expression. Overall, the results suggested that Rpl10a deficiency caused delays in embryonic development, as well as apoptosis and anemia, in zebrafish.

Produção agropecuária da agricultura familiar de Roque Gonzales

O território rural brasileiro é marcado pelo amplo número de estabelecimentos agropecuários familiares, sendo estes responsáveis por boa parte da produção de alimentos. O objetivo do artigo foi de verificar a produção agrícola e pecuária dos estabelecimentos agropecuários da agricultura familiar do município de Roque Gonzales, estado do Rio Grande do Sul, do ano-safra agropecuário de 2016-2017. A pesquisa foi realizada com os agricultores familiares a partir de entrevistas semiestruturadas com a coleta de dados referentes a produção, produtividade, área, renda e estabelecimentos. Para a análise empregou-se a estatística descritiva e multivariada. Os estabelecimentos familiares concentraram as atividades no campo agrícola, com evidência a produção do milho, soja e bovino de leite. Em relação a área, a produção agrícola se sobressaiu, com predominância a soja, cria/recria de bovinos e bovino leiteiro. Quanto ao valor monetário sublinha-se a hegemonia agrícola frente a pecuária, mas com destaque a bovinocultura de leite, soja e milho. Os dados referentes a principal cultura remetem a interpretação de que os agricultores familiares possuem tendência na produção de commodities, especificamente da soja. No tema da área, facilmente se visualizou o perfil familiar tendo como critério as pequenas extensões produtivas. Na relação entre valor/área, a hortifruticultura se avultou sobre as demais, o que permite admitir que não necessariamente a maior extensão de área corresponda ao maior retorno financeiro. Milho, soja e bovino de leite conformaram uma estrutura agrária ímpar, um sistema heterogêneo que a remarca em um padrão produtivo associado a monocultura, porém, de caráter familiar.

Formation and growth of cavities in tensile deformation of Poly(ε-caprolactone) and its miscible blends

Microstructural development of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and its miscible blends with poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) and poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (SAN) were investigated as a function of strain in the process of uniaxial stretching using in situ synchrotron ultrasmall- and small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS and SAXS) techniques. The addition of amorphous polymer SAN gives rise to a distinct reduction in the entanglement density of the amorphous phase of PCL, whereas an introduction of PVME does not affect the entanglement density in the blend. At small strains, the initial cavities in pure PCL are oriented perpendicular to the drawing direction, while the cavities at the onset of their formation are oriented along the extensional direction for the PCL/PVME blend. Nevertheless, no cavity scattering is observed in PCL/SAN blend during the process of tensile deformation. These results confirm that the cavitation is directly linked to the lamellar crystallites with their orientation parallel to the drawing direction at small extension ratios. For the two cavitated samples, the volume fraction of cavities was assessed from the integrated scattering intensity based on a three phase model. A critical stress value, above which the lamellar mosaic blocks begin to be pulled apart and the cavitation just sets in, was found to be nearly constant at around 15 MPa. Furthermore, the dimensions of cavities were evaluated at different deformations via direct cylinder model fitting to the USAXS patterns. The height of cavities is much larger than the long spacing of lamellar stacks even at the early stages of cavity formation, which indicates the cavities emanating from the lamellae into several amorphous phases at small elongations. Analysis of the SAXS patterns shows an independence of lamellar long spacing on the sample composition at large strains, which strongly supports the deformation scheme of stress-induced fragmentation and recrystallization.

Corneal elevation changes after forced eyelid closure in healthy participants and in patients with keratoconus

BackgroundTo assess pointwise corneal elevation changes after forced eyelid closure test (FECT) in the eyes of healthy subjects and in eyes with keratoconus.MethodsTwenty‐nine subjects with keratoconus and 31 healthy volunteers were evaluated. Patients with keratoconus who had corneal hydrops, apical scarring, corneal thickness ≤ 400 μm, ocular surface disease, contact lens wear on the examination day and a history of corneal cross‐linking were excluded. Exclusion criteria for healthy participants were spherical error > +3.00 D and < −3.00 D, corneal astigmatism > 1.50 D, corneal curvature > 47 D, ocular allergy, clinical findings and family history of keratoconus. Pentacam was performed before and after 20-seconds of FECT and raw data were extracted from the built‐in software. Pointwise anterior and posterior elevation changes in the central 8-mm cornea were assessed using paired samples t‐test and heat maps were constructed to reflect mean changes and statistically significant data points. Statistical significance was assumed at p < 0.01.ResultsAge and gender were similar between healthy subjects (24.5 ± 1.6-years, 46.4 per cent female) and subjects with keratoconus (28.6 ± 9.2-years, 46.4 per cent female, p = 0.19, 0.61, respectively). Healthy eyes displayed posterior depression clustering in the inferotemporal and inferonasal areas (mean change: −4.5 ± 7.8 μm and −5.2 ± 9.8 μm, respectively, all p < 0.01). In contrast, keratoconus eyes exhibited a wider area of posterior elevation clustering in the inferior cornea (mean change: 8.1 ± 14.5 μm, all p < 0.01) with a small extension in the inferotemporal cornea (mean change: 12.1 ± 22.3 μm, all p < 0.01).ConclusionFECT elicits corneal elevation changes mainly in the inferior cornea with the change being more pronounced and wider in eyes with keratoconus.

Are we ready for scaling up restoration actions? An insight from Mediterranean macroalgal canopies.

Extensive loss of macroalgal forests advocates for large-scale restoration interventions, to compensate habitat degradation and recover the associated ecological functions and services. Yet, restoration attempts have generally been limited to small spatial extensions, with the principal aim of developing efficient restoration techniques. Here, the success of outplanting Cystoseira amentacea v. stricta germlings cultured in aquaria was experimentally explored at a scale of tens of kms, by means of a multifactorial experimental design. In the intertidal rocky shores of SE Italy, locations with a continuous distribution for hundreds of meters or with few thalli forming patches of few centimeters of C. amentacea canopy were selected. In each location, the effects of adult conspecifics and the exclusion of macrograzers (salema fish and sea urchins) on the survival of germlings were tested. We evaluated the most critical determinants of mortality for germlings, including the overlooked pressure of mesograzers (e.g. amphipods, small mollusks, polychaetes). Despite the high mortality observed during outplanting and early settlement stages, survival of C. amentacea germlings was consistently favored by the exclusion of macrograzers, while the presence of adult conspecifics had no effects. In addition, the cost analysis of the interventions showed the feasibility of the ex-situ method, representing an essential tool for preserving Cystoseira forests. Large scale restoration is possible but requires baseline information with an in-depth knowledge of the species ecology and of the areas to be restored, together with the development of specific cultivation protocols to make consistently efficient restoration interventions.

Technique for Rectosigmoid Resection with Total Intracorporeal Anastamosis in Colorectal Endometriosis

Video Objective To demonstrate step by step technique for laparoscopic rectosigmoid colectomy with total intracorporeal anastomosis in stage IV endometriosis, eliminating the need for laparotomy to complete the procedure. Setting A subspecialist gynecologic surgery practice focused on complex endometriosis care, with collaboration from subspecialist surgery colleagues. Interventions Stage IV endometriosis with colorectal involvement is frequently managed in subspecialty endometriosis practices. In most cases, segmental resection and anastomosis requires a small laparotomy or port extension for installation of the stapler anvil. In recent years, general surgeons managing colon cancer or other general surgical disease states have demonstrated techniques for total intracorporeal laparoscopic colectomy without the need for minilaparotomy, often using the anus as an access point for stapler/anvil installation and specimen extraction. We demonstrate two cases using similar techniques in stage IV endometriosis, using a hysterectomy associated colpotomy as an access point, eliminating the need for laparotomy to complete colorectal anastomosis. Similar techniques can be accomplished via vaginotomy or transanally in cases that do not involve hysterectomy. We describe a repeatable 12 step process for consistent performance of this procedure. Conclusion Total intracorporeal colorectal resection and anastomoses are feasible and reproducible in stage IV endometriosis cases, using the vagina as an access point. In our experience, elimination of minilaparotomy for anastomosis completion promotes early discharge from hospital, surgical recovery, and patient satisfaction.

Patterns of Failure after Definitive Reirradiation for Patients with Head and Neck Cancer

In the setting of curative intent head and neck (HN) reirradiation (reRT), the goal is to adequately cover disease with as small a volume as appropriate to minimize normal tissue toxicity. However, it can be a challenge to gauge the extent microscopic disease beyond the gross tumor that needs to be included in the reRT volume to maximize local disease control. Here, we determined the patterns of failure (POF) after definitive reRT with IMRT and proton. From 1999 to 2015, 148 patients with previously irradiated inoperable HN cancer received definitive reRT (median dose 66Gy). Those who had locoregional recurrence (LRR) and intact imaging data were analyzed. Using deformable imaging registration, diagnostic images at time of recurrence were coregistered with reRT treatment planning images. Site of recurrence was delineated and evaluated by 4 radiation oncologists and a radiologist with HN expertise. The POFs were classified into 5 types based on spatial and dosimetric criteria: A (central high dose), B (peripheral high dose), C (central elective dose), D (peripheral elective dose), and E (extraneous dose). For patients who had multiple sites of recurrences, each site was classified independently. The kappa statistic was used to assess the inter-observer agreement on failure classification. 44 patients developed LRR. Of these, 27 patients representing 33 sites of failures had restorable imaging data for analysis. Median time to failure was 21 weeks (range: 4 – 220 weeks). Of the 33 failure sites, 16 were mucosal and 17 were nodal. POFs were: 14 (42%) Type A, 5 (15%) Type B, 1 (3%) Type C, and 13 (39%) Type E. Therefore, 27 (82%) of failures were either within or outside the high dose (HD) field, with 6 (18%) marginal failures. Among recurrences outside the HD volume (Type E), 5 were mucosal and 8 nodal. Of the mucosal relapses, 3 were non-contiguous mucosal sites, whereas for contiguous mucosal recurrences the median distance from the HD region was 3cm (range: 2.7 – 3.2 cm). Of nodal relapses, 6 were from mucosal reRT, 2 were contralateral neck, and 4 were ipsilateral neck of which 3 were ≥1 nodal levels away from the reRT nodal level. Out of 33 failures, there were only 4 discrepancies in inter-observer classifications. All 4 were in cases whereby >95% of recurrence were within the HD region and there was small extension of disease outside the region on several CT slices. The overall agreement kappa was 0.92. Overall, this method of POF classification appeared reproducible between observers, with excellent agreement between radiation oncologists and radiologist. In patients who recurred after reRT, the majority was either within the central HD region, or completely outside the HD region suggesting poor disease biology rather than inadequate treatment volumes.Abstract 2873; Table 1POFObservers12345Mucosal Type A Type B Type E8 3 59 2 59 2 58 3 510 1 5Nodal Type A Type B Type C Type E6 2 1 85 3 1 84 4 1 85 3 1 85 3 1 8 Open table in a new tab

A spectral collocation method for acoustic scattering by multiple elastic plates

This paper presents a new approach to solving acoustic scattering problems: the Unified Transform method. This spectral, boundary-based collocation method can be readily applied to acoustic scattering by disjoint two-dimensional structures, and, for the purposes of this paper, is illustrated in the case of multiple flat plates, which also addresses the additional difficulty of mathematical singularities in the scattered field due to diffraction at sharp edges. Fluid-structure interaction may also be incorporated into the method, such as plate elasticity, which when applied to aerofoil trailing edges, is known to reduce aerodynamic noise. While a range of examples are illustrated to show the versatility of the method, attention is in particular given to the scattering of quadrupole sources by rigid plates with finite elastic extensions. It is seen that whilst a fully elastic plate is most beneficial acoustically, plates with only small extensions can considerably reduce the far-field sound power versus a fully rigid plate.

Approximate Data Reuse-based Accelerator Design for Embedded Processor

Due to increasing diversity and complexity of applications in embedded systems, accelerator designs trading-off area/energy-efficiency and design-productivity are becoming a further crucial issue. Targeting applications in the category of Recognition, Mining, and Synthesis (RMS), this study proposes a novel accelerator design to achieve a good trade-off in efficiency and design-productivity (or reusability) by introducing a new computing paradigm called “approximate computing” (AC). Leveraging from the facts that frequently executed parts of applications (i.e., hotspots) are conventionally the target of acceleration and that RMS applications are error-tolerant and often take similar input data repeatedly, our proposed accelerator reuses previous computational results of similar enough data to reduce computations. The proposed accelerator is composed of a simple controller and a dedicated memory to store limited sets of previous input data with corresponding computational results in a hotspot. Therefore, this accelerator can be applied to different and/or multiple hotspots/applications only through small extension of the controller, to achieve efficient accelerator design and resolve the design-productivity issue. We conducted quantitative evaluations using a representative RMS application (image compression) to demonstrate the effectiveness of our method over conventional ones with precise computing. Moreover, we provide important findings on parameter exploration for our accelerator design, offering a wider applicability of our accelerator to other applications.

ProgressiveDB

ProgressiveDB transforms any standard SQL database into a progressive database capable of continuous, approximate query processing. It introduces a few small extensions to the SQL query language that allow clients to express progressive analytical queries. These extensions are processed in the ProgressiveDB middleware that sits between a database application and the underlying database providing interactive query processing as well as query steering capabilities to the user. In our demo, we show how this system allows a database application with a graphical user interface to interact with different backends, while providing the user with immediate feedback during exploratory data exploration of an on-time flight database. ProgressiveDB also supports efficient query steering by providing a new technique, called progressive views, which allows the intermediate results of one progressive query to be shared and reused by multiple concurrent progressive queries with refined scope.

Dynamic characterization of the main Cantabrian river plumes by means of MODIS

River plumes formed in the Cantabrian coast of the Bay of Biscay constitute the main source of nutrients for this coastal area. They are able to sustain high levels of phytoplankton and primary productivity which, in turn, affect the associated ecosystems. Moreover, these plumes also influence other processes as stratification, flow circulation, transport of pollutants or erosion-sedimentation patterns, affecting the morphodynamical and biogeochemical characteristics of the area, which makes their study of high importance. The general small extension of these plumes makes necessary the use of high spatial and temporal resolution data to characterize their fine-spatial structure and to identify their evolution that happens at a short time scale. For that, the response of the Cantabrian plumes to the main forcing was analyzed by means of data provided by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer sensor onboard Aqua and Terra satellites, which provides daily high resolution of up to 250 m. Composite images of Nalon, Pas-Besaya, Nervion and Adour plumes were created to analyze the effect of each forcing, including river discharge, wind and tides.Adour is the only Cantabrian plume formed even under low discharges due to the greater basin and river discharge. The rest of Cantabrian plumes are only well developed under high river discharges, which shows this forcing as the most important. Nalon, Pas-Besaya and Nervion plumes mainly influence eastward locations whereas Adour plume mainly affects areas located north of river mouth, due to the predominant currents in each area. Wind has a remarkable impact when plumes are well developed, being especially important in Nalon, Pas-Besaya and Nervion plumes. Plume material is dispersed to the ocean (under upwelling and seaward winds) or retained near coast (under downwelling and landward winds) attending to the main wind direction, conditioning the characteristics of the plume area. The semidiurnal tidal cycle is also important when plumes are developed, being all of them greater under low tidal conditions, although the impact is less important in the Adour plume. The higher stability of Adour plume to the forcing could be related to the much greater extension, which makes necessary stronger forcing to cause similar effects. On the other hand, this greater extension favors its impact on thermohaline properties of seawater. The Adour River is able to provoke winter stratification in the plume area, as well as thermal inversions, which condition the thermohaline properties respect to oceanic area not affected by the plume.By last, the influence of Cantabrian plumes on the annual cycle of chlorophyll was evaluated for each plume area and the adjacent ocean also by means of MODIS data. A chlorophyll peak was detected in both areas for early spring and high values of chlorophyll were also detected during autumn and winter but only in plume areas, associated to the input of nutrients and the haline stratification promoted by the high rivers discharges during these months.

Cells to Surgery Quiz: April 2019

Cells to Surgery Quiz: April 2019