Sex-Specific Effects of a Wartime-Like Radiation Exposure on Cognitive Function.

Evaluating the risk for central nervous system (CNS) effects after whole-body or partial-body irradiation presents challenges due in part to the varied exposure scenarios in the context of occupational, accidental or wartime releases. Risk estimations are further complicated by the fact that robust changes in brain function are unlikely to manifest until significantly late post exposure times. Collectively, the current data regarding CNS radiation risk are conflicting in humans and a survey of the animal model data shows that it is similarly inconsistent. Due to the sparseness of such data, the current study was conducted using male and female mice to evaluate the brain for the delayed effects of a 2 Gy whole-body exposure to c rays starting six months postirradiation. Behavioral testing indicated sex-specific differences in the induction of anxiety-like behaviors and in the ability to abolish fear memories. Molecular analyses showed alterations in post-synaptic protein levels that might affect synaptic plasticity and increased levels of global DNA methylation, suggesting a potential epigenetic mechanism that might contribute to radiation-induced cognitive dysfunction. These data add to the understanding of the CNS response to whole-body irradiation and may lead to improved risk assessment and provide guidance in the development of effective radiation countermeasures to protect military personnel and civilians alike

Influence of hydrological connectivity on winter limnology in 1 floodplain lakes 2 of the Saskatchewan River Delta, SK

Globally, hydrological connectivity between rivers and their floodplains has been reduced by river flow management and land transformation. The Saskatchewan River Delta is North America’s largest inland delta and a hub for fish and fur production. To determine the influence of connectivity on limnology within this northern floodplain, water chemistry and stable isotopes (δ18O and δ236 H) were analyzed during the winter of 2014 in shallow lakes along a hydrological gradient. A total of five lake connectivity categories were determined by optical remote-sensing images of surface water coverage area from years of varying flood intensities. Accuracy of categories were verified by degree of 18O and 239 H enrichment within lakes. Both isotopes showed marked successional enrichment between connectivity categories with more isolated lakes exhibiting greater enrichment. Water chemistry in lakes with greater connectivity to the main channel were characterized by higher pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates and sulfates, and lower total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and ammonium, compared to more isolated lakes. These findings illustrate how connectivity influences water chemistry in northern floodplain lakes and how it might determine the suitability of these lakes as winter refuge for fishes. Additionally, our study provides supporting evidence for the effective use of optical remote sensing imagery, an inexpensive and accessible source of data for researchers, when determining connectivity characteristics of large northern floodplain systems. Additionally, this study provides further evidence that the inundation of floodplain lakes by river water during peak discharge has an impact on the conditions within the lakes long into the winter ice-cover season. Understanding the year-round influence of river-floodplain connection is imperative for assessing potential impacts of climate change and future water regulation on such ecosystem

Coconut in the Mekong Delta: An Assessment of Competitivenessand Industry Potential

The numbers surrounding the world coconut industry are substantial – 55,500,000,000 coconuts produced every year from 12,000,000 hectares supporting an industry worth USD 6 billion at wholesale. Yet despite the size and wealth of the industry most coconut growers are among the poorest in their society and over 1 million tonnes of coconut dust are dumped into the environment every year. In the Mekong Delta, riverbanks shaded with coconut trees are an iconic part of the landscape, but only in the last decade has the local coconut industry taken the first steps to becoming a modern, competitive industry. Much of this recent development has happened in Ben Tre province, at the heart of the industry in the Delta with the greatest concentration of coconut trees and businesses. The Ben Tre authorities and industry leaders are now looking to help the industry mature into an internationally competitive and sustainable coconut industry that maximises the value created for the local community, businesses and coconut farmers. This study is part of that process and aims to provide evidence of the current state of the global coconut industry and the local industry in Ben Tre and the wider Mekong Delta and to assess specific opportunities for the industry’s future development. The study also identifies several promising commercial opportunities for local coconut businesses and the impacts these could have on the company’s own bottom-line profits as well as the wider industry. It supplements extensive secondary data with insights and evidence gathered through an international benchmarking exercise with leading competitor countries, including the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand as well as the local industry in Ben Tre

Master Equation Analysis of Thermochemical Nonequilibrium of Nitrogen

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/97092/1/AIAA2012-3305.pd

The Upper Atmosphere of HD17156b

HD17156b is a newly-found transiting extrasolar giant planet (EGP) that orbits its G-type host star in a highly eccentric orbit (e~0.67) with an orbital semi-major axis of 0.16 AU. Its period, 21.2 Earth days, is the longest among the known transiting planets. The atmosphere of the planet undergoes a 27-fold variation in stellar irradiation during each orbit, making it an interesting subject for atmospheric modelling. We have used a three-dimensional model of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere for extrasolar gas giants in order to simulate the progress of HD17156b along its eccentric orbit. Here we present the results of these simulations and discuss the stability, circulation, and composition in its upper atmosphere. Contrary to the well-known transiting planet HD209458b, we find that the atmosphere of HD17156b is unlikely to escape hydrodynamically at any point along the orbit, even if the upper atmosphere is almost entirely composed of atomic hydrogen and H+, and infrared cooling by H3+ ions is negligible. The nature of the upper atmosphere is sensitive to to the composition of the thermosphere, and in particular to the mixing ratio of H2, as the availability of H2 regulates radiative cooling. In light of different simulations we make specific predictions about the thermosphere-ionosphere system of HD17156b that can potentially be verified by observations.Comment: 31 pages, 42 eps figure

Evaluated kinetic and photochemical data for atmospheric chemistry: Volume II ? gas phase reactions of organic species

International audienceThis article, the second in the series, presents kinetic and photochemical data evaluated by the IUPAC Subcommittee on Gas Kinetic Data Evaluation for Atmospheric Chemistry. It covers the gas phase and photochemical reactions of Organic species, which were last published in 1999, and were updated on the IUPAC website in late 2002, and subsequently during the preparation of this article. The article consists of a summary table of the recommended rate coefficients, containing the recommended kinetic parameters for the evaluated reactions, and eight appendices containing the data sheets, which provide information upon which the recommendations are made

Evaluated kinetic and photochemical data for atmospheric chemistry: Volume III ? gas phase reactions of inorganic halogens

International audienceThis article, the third in the series, presents kinetic and photochemical data evaluated by the IUPAC Subcommittee on Gas Kinetic Data Evaluation for Atmospheric Chemistry. It covers the gas phase and photochemical reactions of inorganic halogen species, which were last published in J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, in 2000 (Atkinson et al., 2000), were updated on the IUPAC website in 2003 and are updated again in the present evaluation. The article consists of a summary sheet, containing the recommended kinetic parameters for the evaluated reactions, and five appendices containing the data sheets, which provide information upon which the recommendations were made

Evaluated kinetic and photochemical data for atmospheric chemistry: Volume II – gas phase reactions of organic species

This article, the second in the series, presents kinetic and photochemical data evaluated by the IUPAC Subcommittee on Gas Kinetic Data Evaluation for Atmospheric Chemistry. It covers the gas phase and photochemical reactions of Organic species, which were last published in 1999, and were updated on the IUPAC website in late 2002, and subsequently during the preparation of this article. The article consists of a summary table of the recommended rate coefficients, containing the recommended kinetic parameters for the evaluated reactions, and eight appendices containing the data sheets, which provide information upon which the recommendations are made

Evaluated kinetic and photochemical data for atmospheric chemistry: Volume IV – gas phase reactions of organic halogen species

This article, the fourth in the series, presents kinetic and photochemical data sheets evaluated by the IUPAC Subcommittee on Gas Kinetic Data Evaluation for Atmospheric Chemistry. It covers the gas phase and photochemical reactions of organic halogen species, which were last published in 1997, and were updated on the IUPAC website in 2006/07. The article consists of a summary sheet, containing the recommended kinetic parameters for the evaluated reactions, and four appendices containing the data sheets, which provide information upon which the recommendations are made