Description: © The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Teske, A., McKay, L. J., Ravelo, A. C., Aiello, I., Mortera, C., Núñez-Useche, F., Canet, C., Chanton, J. P., Brunner, B., Hensen, C., Ramírez, G. A., Sibert, R. J., Turner, T., White, D., Chambers, C. R., Buckley, A., Joye, S. B., Soule, S. A., & Lizarralde, D. Characteristics and evolution of sill-driven off-axis hydrothermalism in Guaymas Basin - the Ringvent site. Scientific Reports, 9(1), (2019): 13847, doi:10.1038/s41598-019-50200-5.

Description: The Guaymas Basin spreading center, at 2000 m depth in the Gulf of California, is overlain by a thick sedimentary cover. Across the basin, localized temperature anomalies, with active methane venting and seep fauna exist in response to magma emplacement into sediments. These sites evolve over thousands of years as magma freezes into doleritic sills and the system cools. Although several cool sites resembling cold seeps have been characterized, the hydrothermally active stage of an off-axis site was lacking good examples. Here, we present a multidisciplinary characterization of Ringvent, an ~1 km wide circular mound where hydrothermal activity persists ~28 km northwest of the spreading center. Ringvent provides a new type of intermediate-stage hydrothermal system where off-axis hydrothermal activity has attenuated since its formation, but remains evident in thermal anomalies, hydrothermal biota coexisting with seep fauna, and porewater biogeochemical signatures indicative of hydrothermal circulation. Due to their broad potential distribution, small size and limited life span, such sites are hard to find and characterize, but they provide critical missing links to understand the complex evolution of hydrothermal systems.

Description: This work was funded by NSF OCE grant 1449604 “Rapid Proposal: Guaymas Basin site survey cruise for IODP proposal 833” to Andreas Teske; NSF C-DEBI grant “Characterizing subseafloor life and environments in Guaymas Basin” to Andreas Teske, Ivano Aiello and Ana Christina Ravelo; and collaborative NSF Biological Oceanography grants 1357238 and 1357360 “Collaborative Research: Microbial carbon cycling and its interaction with sulfur and nitrogen transformations in Guaymas Basin hydrothermal sediments” to Andreas Teske and Samantha B. Joye, respectively. We thank the Alvin and Sentry teams for a stellar performance during Guaymas Basin cruise AT37-06, and the science crew of RV El Puma for their dedication, skill, and “can-do” collaborative spirit during the 2014 Guaymas coring campaign. Sequencing of bacterial and archaeal communities was supported by the Deep Carbon Observatory, and performed at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA.

Description: Highlights • Archaeal community composition reflects locally specific environmental challenges • Biogeochemical properties do not predict archaeal community structure • Environmental history controls subseafloor archaeal populations Summary We explore archaeal distributions in sedimentary subseafloor habitats of Guaymas Basin and the adjacent Sonora Margin, located in the Gulf of California, México. Sampling locations include (1) control sediments without hydrothermal or seep influence, (2) Sonora Margin sediments underlying oxygen minimum zone water, (3) compacted, highly reduced sediments from a pressure ridge with numerous seeps at the base of the Sonora Margin, and (4) sediments impacted by hydrothermal circulation at the off-axis Ringvent site. Generally, archaeal communities largely comprise Bathyarchaeal lineages, members of the Hadesarchaea, MBG-D, TMEG, and ANME-1 groups. Variations in archaeal community composition reflect locally specific environmental challenges. Background sediments are divided into surface and subsurface niches. Overall, the environmental setting and history of a particular site, not isolated biogeochemical properties out of context, control the subseafloor archaeal communities in Guaymas Basin and Sonora Margin sediments.

Description: The Guaymas Basin spreading center, at 2000 m depth in the Gulf of California, is overlain by a thick sedimentary cover. Across the basin, localized temperature anomalies, with active methane venting and seep fauna exist in response to magma emplacement into sediments. These sites evolve over thousands of years as magma freezes into doleritic sills and the system cools. Although several cool sites resembling cold seeps have been characterized, the hydrothermally active stage of an off-axis site was lacking good examples. Here, we present a multidisciplinary characterization of Ringvent, an ~1 km wide circular mound where hydrothermal activity persists ~28 km northwest of the spreading center. Ringvent provides a new type of intermediate-stage hydrothermal system where off-axis hydrothermal activity has attenuated since its formation, but remains evident in thermal anomalies, hydrothermal biota coexisting with seep fauna, and porewater biogeochemical signatures indicative of hydrothermal circulation. Due to their broad potential distribution, small size and limited life span, such sites are hard to find and characterize, but they provide critical missing links to understand the complex evolution of hydrothermal systems.

Description: Background: Diabetes is an increasingly prevalent chronic illness that places a huge burden on the individual, the health system and society. Patients with active foot disease and lower limb amputations due to diabetes have a significant amount of interaction with the health care services. The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and experiences of foot care services in Ireland among people with diabetes and active foot disease or lower limb amputations. Methods: A purposive sample of individuals who had either active foot disease or a lower limb amputation as a result of diabetes were recruited from the Prosthetic, Orthotic and Limb Absence Rehabilitation (POLAR) Unit of an Irish hospital. One-to-one interviews were conducted in the POLAR unit using a semi-structured topic guide. Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyse and describe patterns within the data. Results: Ten males participated in the study. Most participants expressed a need for emotional support alongside the medical management of their condition. There were substantial differences between participants with regard to the level of education and information they appeared to have received regarding their illness. There were also variations in levels of service received. Transport and medication costs were considered barriers. Having a medical card, which entitles the holder to free medical care, eased the burden of the patient’s illness. A number of participants attributed some of the problems they faced with services to the health care system as a whole rather than health care professionals. Conclusion: Results suggest that rehabilitation services should place a strong focus on psychological as well as physical adjustment to active foot disease or lower limb amputations. The delivery of services needs to be standardised to ensure equal access to medical care and supplies among people with or at risk of lower extremity amputations. The wider social circumstances of patients should be taken into consideration by health care professionals to provide effective support while patients adjust to this potentially life changing complication. The patient’s perspective should also be used to inform health service managers and health professionals on ways to improve services.