ALBERT

Description: Background: Fever and hypothermia have been observed in septic patients. Their influence on prognosis is subject to ongoing debates. Methods: We did a secondary analysis of a large clinical dataset from a quality improvement trial. A binary logistic regression model was calculated to assess the association of the thermal response with outcome and a multinomial regression model to assess factors associated with fever or hypothermia. Results: With 6542 analyzable cases we observed a bimodal temperature response characterized by fever or hypothermia, normothermia was rare. Hypothermia and high fever were both associated with higher lactate values. Hypothermia was associated with higher mortality, but this association was reduced after adjustment for other risk factors. Age, community-acquired sepsis, lower BMI and lower outside temperatures were associated with hypothermia while bacteremia and higher procalcitonin values were associated with high fever. Conclusions: Septic patients show either a hypothermic or a fever response. Whether hypothermia is a maladaptive response, as indicated by the higher mortality in hypothermic patients, or an adaptive response in patients with limited metabolic reserves under colder environmental conditions, remains an open question. Trial registration The original trial whose dataset was analyzed was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01187134) on August 23, 2010, the first patient was included on July 1, 2011.

Description: The Digital Revolution, including technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, additive manufacturing or 3D-printing, (general purpose) artificial intelligence, or the Internet of Things, has entered the public discourse in many countries. Looking back, it is almost impossible to believe that digitalization is barely featured in the 2030 Agenda or the Paris Agreement. It is increasingly clear that digital changes, we refer to them as the Digital Revolution, are becoming a key driving force in societal transformation. The transformation towards sustainability for all must be harmonized with the threats, opportunities and dynamics of the Digital Revolution, the goals of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. At the same time, the digital transformation will radically alter all dimensions of global societies and economies and will therefore change the interpretation of the sustainability paradigm itself. Digitalization is not only an ‘instrument’ to resolve sustainability challenges, it is also fundamental as a driver of disruptive change. This report that focuses on the Digital Revolution is the second one by The World in 2050 (TWI2050) that was established by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and other partners to provide scientific foundations for the 2030 Agenda. This report is based on the voluntary and collaborative effort of more than 50 authors and contributors from about 20 institutions, and some 100 independent experts from academia, business, government, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations from all the regions of the world, who met four times at IIASA to develop science-based strategies and pathways toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Presentations of the TWI2050 approach and work have been made at many international meetings such as the United Nations Science, Technology and Innovation Forums and the United Nations High-level Political Forums. In 2018, the first report by TWI2050 on Transformations to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals identified Six Exemplary Transformations needed to achieve the SDGs and long-term sustainability to 2050 and beyond: i) Human Capacity & Demography; ii) Consumption & Production; iii) Decarbonization & Energy, iv) Food, Biosphere & Water; v) Smart Cities and vi) Digital Revolution. The focus of this report is the Sixth Transformation, The Digital Revolution. Although it is arguably the single greatest enabler of sustainable development, it has, in the past, helped create many negative externalities like transgression of planetary boundaries. Progress on the SDGs will be facilitated if we can build and implement detailed science, technology and innovation (STI) roadmaps at all levels that range from local to global. STI is a forceful driver of change connected to all 17 SDGs. The Digital Revolution provides entirely new and enhanced capacities and thus serves as a major force in shaping both the systemic context of transformative change and future solutions; at the same time it potentially carries strong societal disruptive power if not handled with caution, care, and innovativeness. This report assesses all the positive potential benefits digitalization brings to sustainable development for all. It also highlights the potential negative impacts and challenges going forward, particularly for those impacted by the ‘digital divide’ that excludes primarily people left behind during the Industrial Revolution like the billion that go hungry every night and the billion who do not have access to electricity. The report outlines the necessary preconditions for a successful digital transformation, including prosperity, social inclusion, environmental sustainability and good governance. Importantly it outlines some of the dramatic social implications associated with an increasingly digital future. It also covers a topic that so far has not been sufficiently dealt with in the cross-over discussions between sustainability and the Digital Revolution, that is, the considerations about related governance aspects.

Description: In der deutschen Bodenkunde besagt die allgemein anerkannte Hypothese zur Lessivégenese, dass Lessivés auf weichseleiszeitlichen Sedimenten im norddeutschen Tiefland ausschließlich im Holozän entstanden seien, mit einer Hauptphase der Tonverlagerung im Atlantikum. Vornehmlich systematisch-mikromorphologische Untersuchungen an Braunerde-Lessivés aus Decksand über Geschiebelehm im norddeutschen Tiefland führen zu einer verbesserten Vorstellung über die chronologische Abfolge pedogenetischer Prozesse seit dem Beginn des Spätglazials. Es wird nachgewiesen, dass sowohl im Spätglazial, als auch im Holozän Tonverlagerung stattfand. Durch in Bt-Schmitzen inkorporierte Toncutane ist eine spätglaziale Tonverlagerung belegt, da die Entstehung dieser Schmitzen auf periglaziale Umlagerungsprozesse zurückgeführt werden kann. Ungestörte Toncutane neben Toncutanfragmenten zeigen nachfolgende holozäne Tonverlagerung an.

Description: research

Description: Fjords are recognized as hotspots of organic carbon (OC) burial in the coastal ocean. In fjords with glaciated catchments, glacier discharge carries large amounts of suspended matter. This sedimentary load includes OC from bedrock and terrigenous sources (modern vegetation, peat, soil deposits), which is either buried in the fjord or remineralized during export, acting as a potential source of CO2 to the atmosphere. In sub‐Antarctic South Georgia, fjord‐terminating glaciers have been retreating during the past decades, likely as a response to changing climate conditions. We determine sources of OC in surface sediments of Cumberland Bay, South Georgia, using lipid biomarkers and the bulk 14C isotopic composition, and quantify OC burial at present and for the time period of documented glacier retreat (between 1958 and 2017). Petrogenic OC is the dominant type of OC in proximity to the present‐day calving fronts (60.4 ± 1.4% to 73.8 ± 2.6%) and decreases to 14.0 ± 2.7% outside the fjord, indicating that petrogenic OC is effectively buried in the fjord. Beside of marine OC, terrigenous OC comprises 2.7 ± 0.5% to 7.9 ± 5.9% and is mostly derived from modern plants and Holocene peat and soil deposits that are eroded along the flanks of the fjord, rather than released by the retreating fjord glaciers. We estimate that the retreat of tidewater glaciers between 1958 and 2017 led to an increase in petrogenic carbon accumulation of 22% in Cumberland West Bay and 6.5% in Cumberland East Bay, suggesting that successive glacier retreat does not only release petrogenic OC into the fjord, but also increases the capacity of OC burial.

Description: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659

Description: In Antarctic and Subantarctic environments, 14C-based age determination is often challenging due to unknown reservoir effects, low organic carbon contents of sediments, and high contributions of petrogenic (14C-free) carbon in ice marginal settings. In this study, we evaluate possible benefits and challenges of compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) as a tool for age determination of marine Antarctic and Subantarctic sediment sequences. We present a comprehensive data set of 14C ages obtained on bulk organic carbon, carbonates, and on fatty acids (FA) from three coastal marine sediment cores from Subantarctic South Georgia and East Antarctica. Low molecular weight (LMW) FA represent the least 14C-depleted fraction, indicating that the phytoplankton-derived compounds can be a means of dating sediments. In contrast, vascular plant-derived high molecular weight FA are systematically depleted in 14C relative to the low molecular weight homologues, reflecting processes such as soil formation/erosion in the catchment. Comparative age-depth models show significant differences, depending on the material used for the respective models. While the land plant-derived FA may lead to an overestimation of the actual sediment age, LMW FA reveal complex aquatic reservoir effects. Bulk sedimentary organic carbon 14C ages likely provide appropriate age estimates in settings with low petrogenic carbon input in the Antarctic, whereas CSRA has the potential to produce improved age control in settings with high contributions of petrogenic carbon.

Description: It is widely assumed that the ventilation of the Southern Ocean played a crucial role in driving glacial-interglacial atmospheric CO2 levels. So far, however, ventilation records from the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean are widely missing. Here we present reconstructions of water residence times (depicted as ΔΔ14C and Δδ13C) for the last 32,000 years on sediment records from the Kerguelen Plateau and the Conrad Rise (~570- to 2,500-m water depth), along with simulated changes in ocean stratification from a transient climate model experiment. Our data indicate that Circumpolar Deep Waters in the Indian Ocean were part of the glacial carbon pool. At our sites, close to or bathed by upwelling deep waters, we find two pulses of decreasing ΔΔ14C and δ13C values (~21–17 ka; ~15–12 ka). Both transient pulses precede a similar pattern in downstream intermediate waters in the tropical Indian Ocean as well as rising atmospheric CO2 values. These findings suggest that 14C-depleted, CO2-rich Circumpolar Deep Water from the Indian Ocean contributed to the rise in atmospheric CO2 during Heinrich Stadial 1 and also the Younger Dryas and that the southern Indian Ocean acted as a gateway for sequestered carbon to the atmosphere and tropical intermediate waters.

Description: The concept of ecosystem services (ES) creates understanding of the value of ecosystems for human well-being. With regard to soils, it provides a framework for assessments of soil contributions and soil management impacts. However, a lack of standardization impedes comparisons between assessment studies and the building of synthesis information. The Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) is an important step forward, although its application to soils is not without difficulty. CICES version 5.1 defines 83 ES classes, of which only some are relevant for soils. We compiled two subsets of CICES classes: one set of soil-related ES comprising 29 services defined as directly and quantifiably controlled by soils and their properties, processes and functions, and another set of 40 ES defined as being affected by agricultural soil management. Additionally, we conducted a systematic literature review, searching for published lists of soil-related ES that claim completeness. We identified 11 relevant lists. Of all CICES classes, 12 were included in more than 75% of the lists, whereas another 36 classes were included in 25–75% of them. Regarding the suitability of the CICES classification for addressing ES in the context of soils and their agricultural management, we identified constraints, such as overlaps, gaps, and highly specific or very broad class definitions. Close cooperation between the soil research and ES communities could ensure better consideration of soils in future CICES updates. A shortlist of 25 service classes affected by agricultural soil management facilitates a standardized approach and may function as checklists in impact assessments. Highlights: Standardized definitions are needed to allow meta-analysis of ecosystem service studies and improve assessments. CICES defines 83 detailed classes of ecosystem services, suggested as a “default list”. We identified 29 classes as soil related and 40 classes as affected by agricultural soil management. Both subsets facilitate ecosystem service assessments in soil research and comparability of results.

Description: We present a dating method for deep-sea sediments that uses the natural radionuclide 230Th (half-life 75,380 years) in analogy to 210Pb with the constant rate of supply (CRS) model. Using an example from the western Indian sector of the Southern Ocean, we demonstrate how sets of values of 230Th, 232Th, and U isotopes activities can supply absolute age information for the last ~450,000 years, given a sufficient precision, resolution, and depth coverage of the analytical data in a suitable core. An assessment of age uncertainties resulting from analytical errors using a Monte Carlo approach and an analytical solution for error propagation shows good agreement. We also investigate errors due to a violation of model assumptions by variable focusing of deep-sea sediments by means of a simulated core. Finally, we use real examples from independently dated sediment cores containing carbonate, using previously existing 230Th data, to test the approach. The consideration of the systematic errors and the examples suggests that the uncertainties are smallest in the central part of the record and that the variability of focusing conditions controls the accuracy of the 230Th CRS dates. Our own example demonstrates an excellent agreement of the 230Th CRS method with independent age constraints, adding an important tool for dating marine records that does not depend on the presence of carbonate. The obtained values are also suitable to calculate 230Th-normalized preserved vertical rain rates of various sedimentary compounds, permitting an improved quantitative comparison of marine paleorecords with other archives like ice cores.

Description: Volatiles released from magma can form bubbles and leave the magma body to eventually mix with atmospheric air. The composition of those volatiles, as derived from measurements made after their emission, is used to draw conclusions on processes in the Earth's interior or their influences on Earth's atmosphere. So far, the discussion of the influence of high‐temperature mixing with atmospheric air (in particular oxygen) on the measured volcanic gas composition is almost exclusively based on thermodynamic equilibrium (TE) considerations. By modeling the combined effects of C‐H‐O‐S reaction kinetics, turbulent mixing, and associated cooling during the first seconds after magmatic gas release into the atmosphere we show that the resulting gas compositions generally do not represent TE states, with individual species (e.g., CO, H2, H2S, OCS, SO3, HO2, H2O2) deviating by orders of magnitude from equilibrium levels. Besides revealing the chemical details of high‐temperature emission processes, our results question common interpretations of volcanic gas studies, particularly affecting the present understanding of auto‐catalytic conversion of volcanic halogen species in the atmosphere and redox state determination from volcanic plume gas measurements.

Description: Plain Language Summary: A major fraction of magmatic gas emissions are released into the atmosphere from open vents. The emission processes are characterized by fast turbulent mixing with atmospheric air (within seconds) and associated rapid cooling. Hardly anything is known about the chemical kinetics within this brief mixing and cooling period. We simulate the chemical kinetics during the first seconds of hot magmatic gases in the atmosphere and find severe deviation to common interpretations and central thermodynamic equilibrium assumptions prevailing in volcanic gas geochemistry.

Description: Key Points: We model the chemical kinetics of high‐temperature volcanic gas emissions within the first seconds of mixing with atmospheric air. We identify key chemical processes within the magma‐atmosphere interface and quantify influences on the volcanic plume composition. Our results question common assumptions prevailing in volcanic gas geochemistry and refine interpretations of gas emissions from open vents.

Description: German Research Foundation

Description: An zwei Kernbohrungen wurden der Sandgehalt und die Mikrofauna von Sedimenten im Übergangsbereich Oberer Rupelton [= Rosenberg-Subformation]/ Schleichsand“ [= Stadecken-Formation] untersucht. Als Abgrenzungskriterium zwischen den beiden stratigraphischen Einheiten kann im Ablagerungsraum Mainzer Becken neben dem schubweisen Einsetzen von glimmerführenden, feinsandigen Mergeln auch das erstmalige Auftreten von allochthonen kretazischen bis paläogenen Foraminiferen herangezogen werden. Etwa gleichzeitig, oder nur wenig zeitversetzt, erscheinen die brackisch-marinen bis brackischen Östracoden-Taxa Hemicyprideis helvetica (LIENENKLAUS 1895), Cytheridea sandbergeri KAMMERER 1989 und Cytheromorpha zinndorfi (LIENENKLAUS 1905), die im Oberen Rupelton [= Rosenberg- Subformation] fehlen.

Description: Abstract: Core samples of two drillings penetrating the boundary Upper Rupelian Clay [= Rosenberg-Subformation]/„Schleichsand” [= Stadecken-Formation] were investigated for their content of sand and their microfauna. Criteria to define the boundary between both stratigraphical units in the Mainz Basin (Tertiary) are intermittently commencing supplies of micaceous, fine-sandy marls and first findings of allochthonous foraminifera of cretaceous and paleogene age. Nearly at the same time the brackish-marine to brackish ostracods Hemicyprideis helvetica (LIENENKLAUS 1895), Cytheridea sandbergeri KAMMERER 1989 and Cytheromorpha zinndorfi (LIENENKLAUS 1905) appear, which are absent in the underlying Upper Rupelian Clay [= Rosenberg-Subformation].

Description: research