Convergence of atmospheric and North Atlantic CO2 trends on multidecadal timescales

The oceans’ carbon uptake substantially reduces the rate of anthropogenic carbon accumulation in the atmosphere1, and thus slows global climate change. Some diagnoses of trends in ocean carbon uptake have suggested a significant weakening in recent years2-8, while others conclude that decadal variability confounds detection of long-term trends9-11. Here, we study trends in observed surface ocean partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in three gyre-scale biomes of the North Atlantic, considering decadal to multidecadal timescales between 1981 and 2009. Trends on decadal timescales are of variable magnitudes and depend sensitively on the precise choice of years. As more years are considered, oceanic pCO2 trends begin to converge to the trend in atmospheric pCO2. North of 30oN, it takes 25 years for the influence of decadal-timescale climate variability to be overcome by a long-term trend that is consistent with the accumulation of anthropogenic carbon. In the permanently stratified subtropical gyre, warming has recently become a significant contributor to the observed increase in oceanic pCO2. This warming, previously attributed to both a multidecadal climate oscillation and anthropogenic climate forcing12,13, is beginning to reduce ocean carbon uptake

Shame and guilt responses of adolescent sexual offenders : a project based upon an independent investigation

Offenders under the age of 18 account for 16.7% of arrests or convictions of forcible rapes and 20.61% of other sexual offenses (U.S. Department of Justice: CSOM, 2000). This study attempts to uncover emotional responses to crimes committed by adolescent sex offenders, particularly guilt and shame responses. Researchers have found that, despite their seeming interchangeability, guilt and shame can be considered separate emotional responses. These emotions can lead to differing behaviors and actions, with guilt typically resulting in a more pro-social response. For the purposes of this study, guilt and shame responses of adolescent sex offenders were explored, in comparison to adolescent non-sexual offenders. Guilt and shame responses and level of violence involved in the crimes committed by both groups were also taken into consideration. Multi-paged pencil and paper surveys were collected from adjudicated sexual and non-sexual offenders, with one group (N= 502) assessed for guilt response, and one group (N= 101) assessed for guilt and shame responses. Findings showed that adolescent sex offenders experience higher levels of guilt and shame for their crimes than adolescent non-sex offenders. Guilt response in adolescent sex offenders was also found to be negatively correlated with level of violence of the offenses committed

The completeness of intervention descriptions in published National Institute of Health Research HTA-funded trials: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to assess whether National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA)-funded randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in the HTA journal were described in sufficient detail to replicate in practice.SettingRCTs published in the HTA journal.Participants98 RCTs published in the HTA journal up to March 2011. Completeness of the intervention description was assessed independently by two researchers using a checklist, which included assessments of participants, intensity, schedule, materials and settings. Disagreements in scoring were discussed in the team; differences were then explored and resolved.Primary and secondary outcome measuresProportion of trials rated as having a complete description of the intervention (primary outcome measure). The proportion of drug trials versus psychological and non-drug trials rated as having a complete description of the intervention (secondary outcome measures).ResultsComponents of the intervention description were missing in 68/98 (69.4%) reports. Baseline characteristics and descriptions of settings had the highest levels of completeness with over 90% of reports complete. Reports were less complete on patient information with 58.2% of the journals having an adequate description. When looking at individual intervention types, drug intervention descriptions were more complete than non-drug interventions with 33.3% and 30.6% levels of completeness, respectively, although this was not significant statistically. Only 27.3% of RCTs with psychological interventions were deemed to be complete, although again these differences were not significant statistically.ConclusionsEnsuring the replicability of study interventions is an essential part of adding value in research. All those publishing clinical trial data need to ensure transparency and completeness in the reporting of interventions to ensure that study interventions can be replicated

The structure and diversity of strain-level variation in vaginal bacteria

The vaginal microbiome plays an important role in human health and species of vaginal bacteria have been associated with reproductive disease. Strain-level variation is also thought to be important, but the diversity, structure and evolutionary history of vaginal strains is not as well characterized. We developed and validated an approach to measure strain variation from metagenomic data based on SNPs within the core genomes for six species of vaginal bacteria

Evaluating portable air cleaner effectiveness in residential settings to reduce exposures to biomass smoke resulting from prescribed burns

AIM: Prescribed burning is the most common method employed to reduce fuel loads in flammable landscapes. This practice is designed to reduce the hazard associated with uncontrolled bushfires. Prescribed burns are frequently conducted close to residential areas, and the associated smoke impacts can adversely affect community health. Particulate matter is the predominant pollutant within the smoke and is strongly and consistently linked with adverse health effects. Outdoor smoke readily infiltrates buildings and reduces the quality of indoor air. Portable air cleaners containing high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are a promising indoor air quality intervention for reducing outdoor smoke exposure.METHODS: We provided 10 homes from semirural regions of Victoria, Australia, with HEPA cleaners and conducted continuous monitoring of indoor and outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) for 2-4 weeks during prescribed burning periods. We calculated the potential improvements to indoor air quality when operating a HEPA cleaner during a smoke episode. Ventilation measures were conducted to identify points of smoke ingress and housing characteristics that could lead to higher infiltration rates.RESULTS: Depending on the house, the use of HEPA cleaners resulted in a reduction in indoor PM2.5 concentrations of 30-74%.CONCLUSIONS: HEPA cleaners have the potential to substantially improve indoor air quality during episodic smoke episodes.</p

Prized Pieces of Land: The Impact of Reconstruction on African-American Land Ownership in Lower Richland County, South Carolina

This report is divided into five sections. The first section assesses the promise of Reconstruction for black South Carolinians in the years after the Civil War, and it situates thiscase study of the South Carolina Land Commission within that historical context. The second section examines in turn the seven tracts of land sold by the Land Commission in LowerRichland County. The research indicates that in two of the tracts, Hickory Hill and Hopkins, African-American families were able to purchase and retain significant acreage for well over acentury. Section three offers some concluding observations, as it presents a set of recommendations for preserving the extant properties of Lower Richland County associated withthe Land Commission sales and for interpreting this history to public audiences through museum exhibits and educational programming. The primary and secondary sources consulted in this study are listed in section four as a guide to further reading.https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/pubhist_books/1002/thumbnail.jp

An inland sea high nitrate-low chlorophyll (HNLC) region with naturally high pCO2

© The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Limnology and Oceanography 60 (2015): 957–966, doi:10.1002/lno.10062.We present a time series of data for temperature, salinity, nitrate, and carbonate chemistry from September 2011 to July 2013 at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories. Samples were collected at the Friday Harbor dock and pump house. Seawater conditions at Friday Harbor were high nitrate-low chlorophyll, with average nitrate and pCO2 concentrations of ∼ 25 ± 5 μmol L−1 and ∼ 700 ± 103 μatm (pH 7.80 ± 0.06). Transient decreases in surface water nitrate and pCO2 corresponded with the timing of a spring bloom (April through June). The high nitrate and pCO2 originate from the high values for these parameters in the source waters to the Salish Sea from the California Undercurrent (CU). These properties are due to natural aerobic respiration in the region where the CU originates, which is the oxygen minimum zone in the eastern tropical North Pacific. Alkalinity varies little so the increase in pCO2 is due to inputs of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). This increase in DIC can come from both natural aerobic respiration within the ocean and input of anthropogenic CO2 from the atmosphere when the water was last at the sea surface. We calculated that the anthropogenic “ocean acidification” contribution to DIC in the source waters of the CU was 36 μmol L−1. This contribution ranged from 13% to 22% of the total increase in DIC, depending on which stoichiometry was used for C/O2 ratio (Redfield vs. Hedges). The remaining increase in DIC was due to natural aerobic respiration.We thank The Educational Foundation of America (EFA) and National Science Foundation Field Station Marine Lab Program (FSML) (NSF DBI 0829486) for essential initial funding to JWM to develop the Ocean Acidification Experimental Lab (OAEL). Additional support was provided by NSF award EF1041213 to E. Carrington Ken Sebens for encouragement to involve students in this research as part of a FHL mini-apprenticeship course

Managing Extreme Heat and Smoke: A Focus Group Study of Vulnerable People in Darwin, Australia

Extreme heat and poor air quality arising from landscape fires are an increasing global concern driven by anthropogenic climate change. Previous studies have shown these environmental conditions are associated with negative health outcomes for vulnerable people. Managing and adapting to these conditions in a warming climate can present substantial difficulties, especially in climates already challenging for human habitation. This study was set in the tropical city of Darwin, Australia. We recruited individuals from population groups vulnerable to outdoor hazards: outdoor workers, teachers and carers, and sportspeople, to participate in focus group discussions. We aimed to gain an understanding of the impacts of extreme heat and poor air quality and how individuals perceived and managed these environmental conditions. We identified a number of key themes relating to impacts on health, work and activity, and adaptive behaviors, while identifying gaps in policy and infrastructure that could improve the lives and protect the health of vulnerable people living, working, and playing in this region. In addition, these outcomes potentially provide direction for other regions with similar environmental challenges. Extreme heat and poor air quality place an additional burden on the lives of people in high-risk settings, such as outdoor workers, teachers and carers, and sportspeople