A statistical gap-filling method to interpolate global monthly surface ocean carbon dioxide data

We have developed a statistical gap-filling method adapted to the specific coverage and prop-erties of observed fugacity of surface ocean CO2(fCO2). We have used this method to interpolate the Sur-face Ocean CO2Atlas (SOCAT) v2 database on a 2.5832.58 global grid (south of 708N) for 1985–2011 atmonthly resolution. The method combines a spatial interpolation based on a ‘‘radius of influence’’ to deter-mine nearby similar fCO2values with temporal harmonic and cubic spline curve-fitting, and also fits long-term trends and seasonal cycles. Interannual variability is established using deviations of observations fromthe fitted trends and seasonal cycles. An uncertainty is computed for all interpolated values based on thespatial and temporal range of the interpolation. Tests of the method using model data show that it performsas well as or better than previous regional interpolation methods, but in addition it provides a near-globaland interannual coverage

The effect of ambient temperature on type-2-diabetes: case-crossover analysis of 4+ million GP consultations across England.

BACKGROUND: Given the double jeopardy of global increases in rates of obesity and climate change, it is increasingly important to recognise the dangers posed to diabetic patients during periods of extreme weather. We aimed to characterise the associations between ambient temperature and general medical practitioner consultations made by a cohort of type-2 diabetic patients. Evidence on the effects of temperature variation in the primary care setting is currently limited. METHODS: Case-crossover analysis of 4,474,943 consultations in England during 2012-2014, linked to localised temperature at place of residence for each patient. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess associations between each temperature-related consultation and control days matched on day-of-week. RESULTS: There was an increased odds of seeking medical consultation associated with high temperatures: Odds ratio (OR) = 1.097 (95% confidence interval = 1.041, 1.156) per 1 °C increase above 22 °C. Odds during low temperatures below 0 °C were also significantly raised: OR = 1.024 (1.019, 1.030). Heat-related consultations were particularly high among diabetics with cardiovascular comorbidities: OR = 1.171 (1.031, 1.331), but there was no heightened risk with renal failure or neuropathy comorbidities. Surprisingly, lower odds of heat-related consultation were associated with the use of diuretics, anticholinergics, antipsychotics or antidepressants compared to non-use, especially among those with cardiovascular comorbidities, although differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Type-2 diabetic patients are at increased odds of medical consultation during days of temperature extremes, especially during hot weather. The common assumption that certain medication use heightens the risk of heat illness was not borne-out by our study on diabetics in a primary care setting and such advice may need to be reconsidered in heat protection plans

Preventable cancer mortality in American Indian and Alaska Native women.

This report describes a series of six studies on cancer in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women, with a particular emphasis on cancer of the breast and cervix. Data from the Indian Health Service (IHS) inpatient data system was used to generate estimates of incidence of cancer among AI/AN populations. Additionally, breast cancer rates among Indian women in Arizona and New Mexico were compiled from extensive chart review of the New Mexico Tumor Registry and the IHS Inpatient Data System. Study of the performance of the health care system for cancer screening in women suggest that the major deficiency lies not in a failure to bring women in for screening, but rather to complete the screening after contact has been made and the need for screening recognized. The studies indicate that cancer is generally diagnosed in American Indian women at a more advanced stage and survival experience of Indian cancer patients is worse than non-Indian, even when corrected for later stage at diagnosis. Several of the studies suggest that failure to diagnose cancer in its very early stages appears to be in large part dependent on patient behavior. An alarming number of women do not keep follow-up appointments, even after multiple referrals and rescheduling of appointments. These findings suggest the need for intervention strategies that encourage women to become knowledgeable about cancer and to accept responsibility for their screening. The studies suggest that the relative difficulty in improving screening rates are traced to an inadequate understanding of cancer and its prevention on the part of women in the community

Recent variability of the global ocean carbon sink

We present a new observation-based estimate of the global oceanic carbon dioxide (CO2) sink and its temporal variation on a monthly basis from 1998 through 2011 and at a spatial resolution of 1×1. This sink estimate rests upon a neural network-based mapping of global surface ocean observations of the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) from the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas database. The resulting pCO2 has small biases when evaluated against independent observations in the different ocean basins, but larger randomly distributed differences exist particularly in high latitudes. The seasonal climatology of our neural network-based product agrees overall well with the Takahashi et al. (2009) climatology, although our product produces a stronger seasonal cycle at high latitudes. From our global pCO2 product, we compute a mean net global ocean (excluding the Arctic Ocean and coastal regions) CO2 uptake flux of −1.42 ± 0.53 Pg C yr−1, which is in good agreement with ocean inversion-based estimates. Our data indicate a moderate level of interannual variability in the ocean carbon sink (±0.12 Pg C yr−1, 1𝜎) from 1998 through 2011, mostly originating from the equatorial Pacific Ocean, and associated with the El Nino–Southern Oscillation. Accounting for steady state riverine and Arctic Ocean carbon fluxes our estimate further implies a mean anthropogenic CO2 uptake of −1.99 ± 0.59 Pg C yr−1 over the analysis period. From this estimate plus the most recent estimates for fossil fuel emissions and atmospheric CO2 accumulation, we infer a mean global land sink of −2.82 ± 0.85 Pg C yr−1 over the 1998 through 2011 period with strong interannual variation

Developing shared understanding through online interdisciplinary collaboration: Reflections from a research project on better integration of health outcomes in future urban development practice

Collaborative working has gained widespread recognition in policy and practice. However, there is less research on the process of doing collaborative research in practice than there is on the epistemological, theoretical, and methodological aspects of such work. In this paper, we address this gap by offering reflections on our practical experience of online interdisciplinary collaboration as part of a wider research project on future urban development practice. We sought to develop a shared understanding of the systems of urban development decision-making. We utilise two established frameworks of interdisciplinarity to reflect on our experience and offer practical recommendations that can help facilitate such work carried out remotely by early career researchers from diverse academic backgrounds. In so doing, our paper offers fresh insights on some of the common issues in interdisciplinary collaboration and on developing shared understanding and intellectual coherence through productive online interactions. As research is evolving to tackle complex problems that require a holistic understanding, our paper contributes to developing replicable methods for remotely conducted interdisciplinary work in the early phases of large-scale collaborative projects

Agro?Commodity Chains

Summaries This article combines the GCC and Convention Theory frameworks to compare the value chains for agro?commodities before and after the decade 1980–90. Crudely, this period was a watershed between producer?driven and buyer?driven forms of organisation. Subsequently, two types of buyer?driven chain have become differentiated: one with low entry barriers that is experiencing downgrading, and one with high entry barriers that is experiencing upgrading. A major policy challenge is to find institutional means of lowering the entry barriers to the second kind of chain, while preserving the upgrading trajectory. This article applies value?chain analysis to an agricultural ‘commodity’ which is in the process of significant change in final product markets. By focusing on the capacity of value?chain analysis to map input?output relations, and by identifying power asymmetries along the chain, it is possible to analyse the factors explaining inter?country distributional outcomes in this sector. A major conclusion is that we are witnessing a simultaneous process of power concentration in importing countries and power deconcentration in producing countries. It is hypothesised that similar trends can be observed in other agricultural?based value chains

The Role of Dietary Sugars and De novo Lipogenesis in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Dietary sugar consumption, in particular sugar-sweetened beverages and the monosaccharide fructose, has been linked to the incidence and severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Intervention studies in both animals and humans have shown large doses of fructose to be particularly lipogenic. While fructose does stimulate de novo lipogenesis (DNL), stable isotope tracer studies in humans demonstrate quantitatively that the lipogenic effect of fructose is not mediated exclusively by its provision of excess substrates for DNL. The deleterious metabolic effects of high fructose loads appear to be a consequence of altered transcriptional regulatory networks impacting intracellular macronutrient metabolism and altering signaling and inflammatory processes. Uric acid generated by fructose metabolism may also contribute to or exacerbate these effects. Here we review data from human and animal intervention and stable isotope tracer studies relevant to the role of dietary sugars on NAFLD development and progression, in the context of typical sugar consumption patterns and dietary recommendations worldwide. We conclude that the use of hypercaloric, supraphysiological doses in intervention trials has been a major confounding factor and whether or not dietary sugars, including fructose, at typically consumed population levels, effect hepatic lipogenesis and NAFLD pathogenesis in humans independently of excess energy remains unresolved

Influence of association state and DNA binding on the O2-reactivity of [4Fe-4S] fumarate and nitrate reduction (FNR) regulator

The fumarate and nitrate reduction (FNR) regulator is the master switch for the transition between anaerobic and aerobic respiration in Escherichia coli. Reaction of dimeric [4Fe-4S] FNR with O2 results in conversion of the cluster into a [2Fe-2S] form, via a [3Fe-4S] intermediate, leading to the loss of DNA binding through dissociation of the dimer into monomers. In the present paper, we report studies of two previously identified variants of FNR, D154A and I151A, in which the form of the cluster is decoupled from the association state. In vivo studies of permanently dimeric D154A FNR show that DNA binding does not affect the rate of cluster incorporation into the apoprotein or the rate of O2-mediated cluster loss. In vitro studies show that O2-mediated cluster conversion for D154A and the permanent monomer I151A FNR is the same as in wild-type FNR, but with altered kinetics. Decoupling leads to an increase in the rate of the [3Fe-4S]1+ into [2Fe-2S]2+ conversion step, consistent with the suggestion that this step drives association state changes in the wild-type protein. We have also shown that DNA-bound FNR reacts more rapidly with O2 than FNR free in solution, implying that transcriptionally active FNR is the preferred target for reaction with O2

The seasonal cycle of ocean-atmosphere CO2 Flux in Ryder Bay, West Antarctic Peninsula

Approximately 15 million km2 of the Southern Ocean is seasonally ice covered, yet the processes affecting carbon cycling and gas exchange in this climatically important region remain inadequately understood. Here, 3 years of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) measurements and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes from Ryder Bay on the west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) are presented. During spring and summer, primary production in the surface ocean promotes atmospheric CO2 uptake. In winter, higher DIC, caused by net heterotrophy and vertical mixing with Circumpolar Deep Water, results in outgassing of CO2 from the ocean. Ryder Bay is found to be a net sink of atmospheric CO2 of 0.59–0.94 mol C m−2 yr−1 (average of 3 years). Seasonal sea ice cover increases the net annual CO2 uptake, but its effect on gas exchange remains poorly constrained. A reduction in sea ice on the WAP shelf may reduce the strength of the oceanic CO2 sink in this region