The Marmara Sea Gateway since ~16 ky BP: non-catastrophic causes of paleoceanographic events in the Black Sea at 8.4 and 7.15 ky BP

The Late Quaternary history of connection of the Black Sea to the Eastern Mediterranean has been intensely debated. Ryan, Pitman and coworkers advocate two pulses of outflow from the Black Sea to the world ocean at ~16–14.7 ky BP and ~11–10 ky BP. From ~14.7–11 ky BP and from ~10–8.4 ky BP, they suggest that the level of the Black Sea fell to ~ -100 m. At 8.4 ky BP, they further claim that a catastrophic flood occurred in a geological instant, refilling the Black Sea with saline waters from the Mediterranean. In contrast, we continue to gather evidence from seismic profiles and dated cores in the Marmara Sea which demonstrate conclusively that the proposed flood did not occur. Instead, the Black Sea has been at or above the Bosphorus sill depth and flowing into the world ocean unabated since ~10.5 ky BP. This conclusion is based on continuous Holocene water-column stratification (leading to sapropel deposition in the Marmara Sea and the Aegean Sea), proxy indicators of sea-surface salinity, and migration of endemic species across the Bosphorus in both directions whenever appropriate hydrographic conditions existed in the strait. The two pulses of outflow documented by Ryan, Pitman and coworkers find support in our data, and we have modified our earlier interpretations so that these pulses now coincide with the development of mid-shelf deltas: \Delta 2 (16–14.7 ky BP) and \Delta 1 (10.5–9 ky BP) at the southern end of the Bosphorus Strait. However, continued Black Sea outflow after 9 ky BP prevented the northward advection of Mediterranean water and the entry of open-marine species into the Black Sea for more than 1000 years. Sufficient Mediterranean water to change the Sr-isotopic composition of slope and shelf water masses was not available until ~8.4 ky BP (along with the first arrival of many varieties of marine fauna and flora), whereas euryhaline molluscs did not successfully populate the Black Sea shelves until ~7.15 ky BP. Instead of relying on catastrophic events, we recognize a slow, progressive reconnection of the Black Sea to the world ocean, accompanied by significant time lags

“White Flight” or positive contact? Local diversity and attitudes to immigration in Britain

Does the local presence of immigrant groups increase White hostility to immigration? Most research finds that diverse neighborhoods reduce White opposition to minorities and immigration. However, most studies at higher geographies find the reverse effect. We confirm this pattern for England and Wales for 2009-2012. Yet, contextual studies are open to selection bias, which is where this article makes its main contribution. Is White tolerance in diverse neighborhoods the result of a positive effect of inter-ethnic contact, or does it arise from White flight, with anti-immigrant Whites exiting diverse areas but remaining within wider geographies as radicalized opponents of immigration? We provide the first attempt we are aware of to track the opinions of in- and out-migrants, as well as stayers, from local areas over an extended period. We use 20 years of large-scale geocoded British longitudinal data and find only limited evidence of selection effects associated with White flight

Illegal immigration and media exposure: evidence on individual attitudes

Illegal immigration has been the focus of much debate in receiving countries, but little is known about the drivers of individual attitudes towards illegal immigrants. To study this question, we use the CCES survey, which was carried out in 2006 in the USA. We find evidence that—in addition to standard labor market and welfare state considerations—media exposure is significantly correlated with public opinion on illegal immigration. Controlling for education, income, ideology, and other socio-demographic characteristics, individuals watching Fox News are 9 percentage points more likely than CBS viewers to oppose the legalization of undocumented immigrants. We find an effect of the same size and direction for CNN viewers, whereas individuals watching PBS are instead more likely to support legalization. Ideological self-selection into different news programs plays an important role, but cannot entirely explain the correlation between media exposure and attitudes about illegal immigration

Design and development of a novel acoustic rain sensor with automated telemetry

This paper presents the recent results of the design of a novel acoustic rainfall sensing system that is low-cost, portable, and easily deployable, which makes use of the recorded sound produced by the impact of the raindrops on the sensor surface. The sensor design allows the gathering of acoustic signal power and sending it to a server after a specified time interval, either through SMS or mobile internet connection. It exists in a weather-proof, standard-conformant, standalone system with its own power supply and telemetric capabilities. These acoustic point sensors can gather rainfall data at high spatial and temporal resolutions. Such deployments can show the variations of rainfall intensities in subkilometer areas, particularly in the tropical regions. Since it is low-cost, it can also improve the density of rainfall measuring devices in an area. Moreover, the reliability is improved by providing near-real time data, as opposed to tipping buckets with manual data retrieval. The prototype sensor system was placed next to standard rain measuring devices and observed during the rainy season. The paper will discuss the design and deployment of the system, as well as initial results of data analysis and comparison with standard rain measuring devices

How reliance on Spanish-language social media predicts beliefs in false political narratives amongst Latinos.

False political narratives are nearly inescapable on social media in the United States. They are a particularly acute problem for Latinos, and especially for those who rely on Spanish-language social media for news and information. Studies have shown that Latinos are vulnerable to misinformation because they rely more heavily on social media and messaging platforms than non-Hispanic whites. Moreover, fact-checking algorithms are not as robust in Spanish as they are in English, and social media platforms put far more effort into combating misinformation on English-language media than Spanish-language media, which compounds the likelihood of being exposed to misinformation. As a result, we expect that Latinos who use Spanish-language social media to be more likely to believe in false political narratives when compared with Latinos who primarily rely on English-language social media for news. To test this expectation, we fielded the largest online survey to date of social media usage and belief in political misinformation of Latinos. Our study, fielded in the months leading up to and following the 2022 midterm elections, examines a variety of false political narratives that were circulating in both Spanish and English on social media. We find that social media reliance for news predicts ones belief in false political stories, and that Latinos who use Spanish-language social media have a higher probability of believing in false political narratives, compared with Latinos using English-language social media

Geogenic and atmospheric sources for volatile organic compounds in fumarolic emissions from Mt. Etna and Vulcano Island (Sicily, Italy)

In this paper, fluid source(s) and processes controlling the chemical composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in gas discharges from Mt. Etna and Vulcano Island(Sicily, Italy) were investigated. The main composition of the Etnean and Volcano gas emissions is produced by mixing, to various degrees, of magmatic and hydrothermal components. VOCs are dominated by alkanes, alkenes and aromatics, with minor, though significant, concentrations of O-, S- and Cl(F)-substituted compounds. The main mechanism for the production of alkanes is likely related to pyrolysis of organic-matterbearing sediments that interact with the ascending magmatic fluids. Alkanes are then converted to alkene and aromatic compounds via catalytic reactions (dehydrogenation and dehydroaromatization, respectively). Nevertheless, an abiogenic origin for the light hydrocarbons cannot be ruled out. Oxidative processes of hydrocarbons at relatively high temperatures and oxidizing conditions, typical of these volcanic-hydrothermal fluids, may explain the production of alcohols, esters, aldehydes, as well as O- and S-bearing heterocycles. By comparing the concentrations of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) in the fumarolic discharges with respect to those of background air, it is possible to highlight that they have a geogenic origin likely due to halogenation of both methane and alkenes. Finally, chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) abundances appear to be consistent with background air, although the strong air contamination that affects the Mt. Etna fumaroles may mask a possible geogenic contribution for these compounds. On the other hand, no CFCs were detected in the Vulcano gases, which are characterized by low air contribution. Nevertheless, a geogenic source for these compounds cannot be excluded on the basis of the present data

REST and CoREST Modulate Neuronal Subtype Specification, Maturation and Maintenance

BACKGROUND: The repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor/neuron-restrictive silencer factor (REST/NRSF) is a master regulator of neuronal gene expression. REST functions as a modular scaffold for dynamic recruitment of epigenetic regulatory factors including its primary cofactor, the corepressor for element-1-silencing transcription factor (CoREST), to genomic loci that contain the repressor element-1 (RE1) binding motif. While REST was initially believed to silence RE1 containing neuronal genes in neural stem cells (NSCs) and non-neuronal cells, emerging evidence shows an increasingly complex cell type- and developmental stage-specific repertoire of REST target genes and functions that include regulation of neuronal lineage maturation and plasticity. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we utilized chromatin immunoprecipitation on chip (ChIP-chip) analysis to examine REST and CoREST functions during NSC-mediated specification of cholinergic neurons (CHOLNs), GABAergic neurons (GABANs), glutamatergic neurons (GLUTNs), and medium spiny projection neurons (MSNs). We identified largely distinct but overlapping profiles of REST and CoREST target genes during neuronal subtype specification including a disproportionately high percentage that are exclusive to each neuronal subtype. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings demonstrate that the differential deployment of REST and CoREST is an important regulatory mechanism that mediates neuronal subtype specification by modulating specific gene networks responsible for inducing and maintaining neuronal subtype identity. Our observations also implicate a broad array of factors in the generation of neuronal diversity including but not limited to those that mediate homeostasis, cell cycle dynamics, cell viability, stress responses and epigenetic regulation

Transport and Reaction Kinetics at the Glass:Solution Interface Region: Results of Repository-Oriented Leaching Experiments

Repository-oriented leaching experiments involving Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) 165 type glass under a {gamma}-radiation field (1 = 0.2 x 10{sup 4} R/h) have been performed by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) project. In this communication, we discuss glass surface analyses obtained by SEM, nuclear resonance profiling, and SIMS together with leachate solution data in relation to a mechanism that couples diffusion, hydrolysis (etching and gelation), and precipitation to qualitatively describe the release of different glass components to the leachant solutions. The release of mobile (e.g., Li) and partly mobile (e.g., B) species is controlled primarily by interdiffusion with water species across the interdiffusion zone. Glass components that are immobile in the interdiffusion zone are released to the solution by etching. For prediction of long-term steady-state concentrations of glass components with low solubility, the relative rates of release from the glass and secondary mineral precipitation must be taken into account

Stable Isotope Variations in Banded Iron Formations

In spite of the significant amount of work already reported in the scientific literature, many aspects of the origin of Banded Iron Formations (BIF) remain enigmatic. The authors demonstrate that mineralogic microbanding in BIF is accompanied by autocorrelated isotopic microbanding of organic carbon and carbonate carbon and oxygen. They propose that these isotopic patterns formed as a result of episodic mixing of waters in the depositional environment of BIF