Respiration of aged soil carbon during fall in permafrost peatlands enhanced by active layer deepening following wildfire but limited following thermokarst

Permafrost peatlands store globally significant amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC) that may be vulnerable to climate change. Permafrost thaw exposes deeper, older SOC to microbial activity, but SOC vulnerability to mineralization and release as carbon dioxide is likely influenced by the soil environmental conditions that follow thaw. Permafrost thaw in peat plateaus, the dominant type of permafrost peatlands in North America, occurs both through deepening of the active layer and through thermokarst. Active layer deepening exposes aged SOC to predominately oxic conditions, while thermokarst is associated with complete permafrost thaw which leads to ground subsidence, inundation and soil anoxic conditions. Thermokarst often follows active layer deepening, and wildfire is an important trigger of this sequence. We compared the mineralization rate of aged SOC at an intact peat plateau (∼70 cm oxic active layer), a burned peat plateau (∼120 cm oxic active layer), and a thermokarst bog (∼550 cm anoxic peat profile) by measuring respired 14C-CO2. Measurements were done in fall when surface temperatures were near-freezing while deeper soil temperatures were still close to their seasonal maxima. Aged SOC (1600 yrs BP) contributed 22.1 ± 11.3% and 3.5 ± 3.1% to soil respiration in the burned and intact peat plateau, respectively, indicating a fivefold higher rate of aged SOC mineralization in the burned than intact peat plateau (0.15 ± 0.07 versus 0.03 ± 0.03 g CO2-C m−2 d−1). None or minimal contribution of aged SOC to soil respiration was detected within the thermokarst bog, regardless of whether thaw had occurred decades or centuries ago. While more data from other sites and seasons are required, our study provides strong evidence of substantially increased respiration of aged SOC from burned peat plateaus with deepened active layer, while also suggesting inhibition of aged SOC respiration under anoxic conditions in thermokarst bogs

Water Quality of the Beach in an Urban and not Urban Environment

Numerous studies and theories have emerged for evaluating the quality of beaches using different parameters. In recent years in the European region, one of the most important aspects when evaluating a beach is the quality of water and sand. The quality of water is represented by the amount of Intestinal Enterococcus and Escherichia coli. This parameter is essential and others to obtain the Blue Flag, indicating that the user of the beach can swim safely. The European Directive 2006/7/EC establishes the limits of E. coli and Enterococcus that may exist in bathing water. However, it should be noted that each ecosystem is unique, and therefore the characteristics a beach are not the same per example if you are in an inland sea, or an ocean, or equal if they are close to an urban or a natural area. In this paper, 1,392 beaches in Spain have been analysed, and it has been observed that in the Mediterranean, the beaches have a lower concentration of bacteria than other areas. In addition, it appears that the sandy beaches and urban beaches have a higher content of bacteria that natural and gravel beaches

Human placenta and markers of heavy metals exposure: Esteban-Vasallo et al. Respond

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Implication of voltage-gated potassium channels in neoplastic cell proliferation

Voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv) are the largest group of ion channels. Kv are involved in controlling the resting potential and action potential duration in the heart and brain. Additionally, these proteins participate in cell cycle progression as well as in several other important features in mammalian cell physiology, such as activation, differentiation, apoptosis, and cell volume control. Therefore, Kv remarkably participate in the cell function by balancing responses. The implication of Kv in physiological and pathophysiological cell growth is the subject of study, as Kv are proposed as therapeutic targets for tumor regression. Though it is widely accepted that Kv channels control proliferation by allowing cell cycle progression, their role is controversial. Kv expression is altered in many cancers, and their participation, as well as their use as tumor markers, is worthy of effort. There is an ever-growing list of Kv that remodel during tumorigenesis. This review focuses on the actual knowledge of Kv channel expression and their relationship with neoplastic proliferation. In this work, we provide an update of what is currently known about these proteins, thereby paving the way for a more precise understanding of the participation of Kv during cancer development

Nuclear Power Feasibility 2007

Nuclear power is a proven technology and has the potential to generate virtually limitless energy with no significant greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear power can become one of the main options to contribute to substantial cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions. Modern development of nuclear power technology and the established framework of international agreements and conventions are responding to the major political, economic and environmental issues -high capital costs, the risks posed by nuclear waste and accidents, and the proliferation of nuclear weaponry- that until recently hindered the expansion of nuclear power. In response to such prospects, the WFEO Energy Standing Committee set up a Task Group to develop this Report on NUCLEAR POWER FEASIBILITY - 2008. This Report gathers information on the state-of-the-art of nuclear energy technology and its current technical and economic feasibility based on engineering criteria and technological maturity. Members of the Task Group were appointed by WFEO Member Organizations. This Report is being presented as a publication in the Energy Standing Committee Series on Feasibility of Current Energy Options. The Series is intended to give the viewpoint of the engineer on questions related to technical and economic feasibility of energy issues of significance to society. It aims at providing the engineer and decision making officers with updated information regarding the state-of-the-art of different technologies that are being used or are under consideration for the supply of energy

Education and Training of Future Nuclear Engineers at DIN: From Advanced Computer Codes to an Interactive Plant Simulator

ABSTRACT This paper summarizes the work being performed at the Department of Nuclear Engineering (www.din.upm.es) of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid to improve the education and training of future Spanish nuclear engineers according to the Bologna rules. We present two main efforts introduced in our programme: i) the understanding of the current computational methodologies/codes starting from the nuclear data processing, then the lattice and core calculations codes, and finally the power plant simulators, ii) the development of practical teaching-learning experiences with an Interactive Graphical Simulator of a real nuclear power plant

Association of occupational heat exposure and colorectal cancer in the MCC-Spain study

Objective Heat exposure and heat stress/strain is a concern for many workers. There is increasing interest in potential chronic health effects of occupational heat exposure, including cancer risk. We examined potential associations of occupational heat exposure and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in a large Spanish multi-case- control study.Methods We analyzed data on 1198 histologically confirmed CRC cases and 2690 frequency-matched controls. The Spanish job-exposure matrix, MatEmEsp, was used to assign heat exposure estimates to the lifetime occupa-tions of participants. Three exposure indices were assessed: ever versus never exposed, cumulative exposure and duration (years). We estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using unconditional logistic regression adjusting for potential confounders.Results Overall, there was no association of ever, compared with never, occupational heat exposure and CRC (OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.92-1.29). There were also no associations observed according to categories of cumulative exposure or duration, and there was no evidence for a trend. There was no clear association of ever occupational heat exposure and CRC in analysis conducted among either men or women when analyzed separately. Positive associations were observed among women in the highest categories of cumulative exposure (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.09-3.03) and duration (OR 2.89, 95% CI 1.50-5.59) as well as some evidence for a trend (P<0.05).Conclusion Overall, this study provides no clear evidence for an association between occupational heat exposure and CRC

On decoding and rewriting genomes: a psychoanalytical reading of a scientific revolution

In various documents the view emerges that contemporary biotechnosciences are currently experiencing a scientific revolution: a massive increase of pace, scale and scope. A significant part of the research endeavours involved in this scientific upheaval is devoted to understanding and, if possible, ameliorating humankind: from our genomes up to our bodies and brains. New developments in contemporary technosciences, such as synthetic biology and other genomics and “post-genomics” fields, tend to blur the distinctions between prevention, therapy and enhancement. An important dimension of this development is “biomimesis”: i.e. the tendency of novel technologies and materials to mimic or plagiarize nature on a molecular and microscopic level in order to optimise prospects for the embedding of technological artefacts in natural systems such as human bodies and brains. In this paper, these developments are read and assessed from a psychoanalytical perspective. Three key concepts from psychoanalysis are used to come to terms with what is happening in research laboratories today. After assessing the general profile of the current revolution in this manner, I will focus on a particular case study, a line of research that may serve as exemplification of the vicissitudes of contemporary technosciences, namely viral biomaterials. Viral life forms can be genetically modified (their genomes can be rewritten) in such a manner that they may be inserted in human bodies in order to produce substances at specific sites such as hormones (testosterone), neurotransmitters (dopamine), enzymes (insulin) or bone and muscle tissue. Notably, certain target groups such as top athletes, soldiers or patients suffering from degenerative diseases may become the pioneers serving as research subjects for novel applications. The same technologies can be used for various purposes ranging from therapy up to prevention and enhancement

Identifying the Profile of Helicobacter pylori-Negative Gastric Cancers: A Case-Only Analysis within the Stomach Cancer Pooling (StoP) Project

Background: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori-negative gastric cancer (HpNGC) can be as low as 1%, when infection is assessed using more sensitive tests or considering the presence of gastric atrophy. HpNGC may share a high-risk profile contributing to the occurrence of cancer in the absence of infection. We estimated the proportion of HpNGC, using different criteria to define infection status, and compared HpNGC and positive cases regarding gastric cancer risk factors. Methods: Cases from 12 studies from the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project providing data on H. pylori infection status determined by serologic test were included. HpNGC was reclassified as positive (eight studies) when cases presented CagA markers (four studies), gastric atrophy (six studies), or advanced stage at diagnosis (three studies), and were compared with positive cases. A two-stage approach (random-effects models) was used to pool study-specific prevalence and adjusted odds ratios (OR). Results: Among non-cardia cases, the pooled prevalence of HpNGC was 22.4% (n = 166/853) and decreased to 7.0% (n = 55) when considering CagA status; estimates for all criteria were 21.8% (n = 276/1, 325) and 6.6% (n = 97), respectively. HpNGC had a family history of gastric cancer more often [OR = 2.18; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.03-4.61] and were current smokers (OR = 2.16; 95% CI, 0.52-9.02). Conclusion: This study found a low prevalence of HpNGC, who are more likely to have a family history of gastric cancer in first-degree relatives. Impact: Our results support that H. pylori infection is present in most non-cardia gastric cancers, and suggest that HpNGC may have distinct patterns of exposure to other risk factors.S. Morais, B. Peleteiro, N. Araújo, and N. Lunet received national funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education), under the Unidade de Investigação em Epidemiologia – Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (EPIUnit; UIDB/04750/2020). S. Morais received funding under the scope of the project “NEON-PC - Neuro-oncological complications of prostate cancer: longitudinal study of cognitive decline” (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-032358; ref. PTDC/SAU-EPI/32358/2017) funded by FEDER through the Operational Program Competitiveness and Internationalization, and national funding from FCT, and the EPIunit – Junior Research – Prog Financing (UIDP/04750/2020). N. Araújo received an individual grant (SFRH/BD/119390/2016) funded by FCT and the ‘Programa Operacional Capital Humano’ (POCH/FSE). C. La Vecchia received funding from the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC, investigator grant no. 21378). All authors received support from the European Cancer Prevention (ECP) Organization for project meetings. All authors thank all MCC-Spain study collaborators (CIBERESP, ISCIII, ISGlobal, ICO, University of Huelva, University of Oviedo, University of Cantabria, University of León, ibs. Granada, Instituto Salud Pública de Navarra, FISABIO, Murcia Regional Health Authority and cols). The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact