Chemical transport modeling of potential atmospheric CO2 sinks

The potential for carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration via engineered chemical sinks is investigated using a three dimensional chemical transport model (CTM). Meteorological and chemical constraints for flat or vertical systems that would absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, as well as an example chemical system of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) proposed by Elliott et al. [Compensation of atmospheric CO2 buildup through engineered chemical sinkage, Geophys. Res. Lett. 28 (2001) 1235] are reviewed. The CTM examines land based deposition sinks, with 4° × 5° latitude/longitude resolution at various locations, and deposition velocities (v). A maximum uptake of ∼20 Gton (1015 g) Cyr-1 is attainable with v ≥ 5 cms-1 at a mid-latitude site. The atmospheric increase of CO2 (3 Gtonyr-1) can be balanced by an engineered sink with an area of no more than 75, 000 km2 at v of 1 cms-1. By building the sink upwards or splitting this area into narrow elements can reduce the active area by more than an order of magnitude as discussed in Dubey et al. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

State of the U.S. Ocean and Coastal Economies 2016 Update

Relative to the landmass of coastal regions, America’s coasts and oceans contribute a disproportionately high value to the United States economy. For the past fifteen years, the National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP) has compiled time-series data that track multiple indicators for economic activities, demographics, natural resource production and values, non-market values, and federal expenditures in the U.S. coastal zone on land and in the water. On our website (www.oceaneconomics.org), government agencies, academia, industry, advocacy groups and the general public representing more than 40 nations— have had interactive access to this information and used it widely for many different purposes. This Update features highlights denoting economic changes that have occurred since our last report was issued in February 2014. We continue to measure two economies: the ocean economy, which includes all ocean-dependent activities in coastal states, and the coastal economy, which includes all economic activity in coastal states, according to geographies such as zip codes, shore adjacent and other coastal zone counties, and watersheds. In addition to updating the measures of economic activity such as employment, wages, and gross domestic product, we have updated our fisheries, offshore oil and gas, and ports and cargo data to indicate changes since our last report. Also, as we have in the past, we show sand nourishment production and price estimates; this time to track continuing changes in price and location in view of climate impacts along our nation’s coasts. We have added a new Arctic Economy page to our site and provide a brief report from it. Finally, we have been compiling federal expenditure data based on OMB annual estimates of all federal agency civilian expenditures for many years. We provide a brief summary of those data as well. The analysis presented here updates ocean economy information to 2013, the most recent available year for these data. Because of the lag in the production of ocean economy data by the federal agencies from which estimates are drawn, this report includes a new data series in the NOEP database: the Ocean Economy Coincident Index. This index utilizes more recent data on employment, establishments, and real wages to provide an indicator of trends between the most recent ocean economy data available (2013 in this report) and the most recent full year for which data are available (2014). A Note on Data Sources: All of the data reported here except for the Arctic data is sourced from public sources, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Census Bureau, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations’ Office of Coastal Management, NOAA Fisheries, Department of Interior, States of Alaska, Texas, Louisiana, California and Mississippi and Alabama for oil and gas data, beach nourishment data from West Carolina University (http://beachnourishment. wcu.edu). Thanks to Daniel Pauly and Rashid Sumalia at the University of British Columbia, for allowing us to use their Arctic fisheries data from Sea Around Us. All data is available for viewing and download on the website of the National Ocean Economics Program at www.oceaneconomics. org

Formation and transport of oxidized reactive nitrogen, ozone, and secondary organic aerosol in Tokyo

Measurements of the major reactive nitrogen species (NOy)i (NOx, peroxyacyl nitrates, HNO3, and particulate nitrate (NO3-), total reactive nitrogen (NOy), volatile organic compounds, OH and HO2, and organic aerosol were made near the urban center of Tokyo in different seasons of 2003-2004 to study the processes involving oxidized forms of reactive nitrogen and O3. Generally, NOx constituted the dominant fraction of NOy throughout the seasons. The NOx/NOy and HNO3/NOy ratios were lowest and highest, respectively, in summer, owing to the seasonally high OH concentration. The fraction of NOy that remained in the atmosphere after emission (RNOy) decreased with the decrease in the NOx/NOy ratio in summer and fall. It is likely that the median seasonal-diurnal variations Of Ox = O3 + NO2 were controlled by those of the background O3 levels, photochemical O3 formation, and vertical transport. Ox showed large increases during midday under stagnant conditions in mid-August 2004. Their in situ production rates calculated by a box model were too slow to explain the observed increases. The high Ox was likely due to the accumulation of Ox from previous days in the upper part of the boundary layer (BL) followed by transport down to near the surface by mixing after sunrise. Considering the tight correlation between Ox and secondary organic aerosol (SOA), it is likely that SOA also accumulated during the course of sea-land breeze circulation in the BL. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union

Mechanisms of Enhanced Cell Killing at Low Doses: Implications for Radiation Risk

We have shown that cell lethality actually measured after exposure to low-doses of low-LET radiation, is markedly enhanced relative to the cell lethality previously expected by extrapolation of the high-dose cell-killing response. Net cancer risk is a balance between cell transformation and cell kill and such enhanced lethality may more than compensate for transformation at low radiation doses over a least the first 10 cGy of low-LET exposure. This would lead to a non-linear, threshold, dose-risk relationship. Therefore our data imply the possibility that the adverse effects of small radiation doses (<10 cGy) could be overestimated in specific cases. It is now important to research the mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of low-dose hypersensitivity to cell killing, in order to determine whether this can be generalized to safely allow an increase in radiation exposure limits. This would have major cost-reduction implications for the whole EM program

Large-scale latitudinal and vertical distributions of NMHCs and selected halocarbons in the troposphere over the Pacific Ocean during the March-April 1999 Pacific Exploratory Mission (PEM-Tropics B)

Nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) and selected halocarbons were measured in whole air samples collected over the remote Pacific Ocean during NASA's Global Tropospheric Experiment (GTE) Pacific Exploratory Mission-Tropics B (PEM-Tropics B) in March and early April 1999. The large-scale spatial distributions of NMHCs and C2Cl4 reveal a much more pronounced north-south interhemispheric gradient, with higher concentrations in the north and lower levels in the south, than for the late August to early October 1996 PEM-Tropics A experiment. Strong continental outflow and winter-long accumulation of pollutants led to seasonally high Northern Hemisphere trace gas levels during PEM-Tropics B. Observations of enhanced levels of Halon 1211 (from developing Asian nations such as the PRC) and CH3Cl (from SE Asian biomass burning) support a significant southern Asian influence at altitudes above 1 km and north of 10° N. By contrast, at low altitude over the North Pacific the dominance of urban/industrial tracers, combined with low levels of Halon 1211 and CH3Cl, indicate a greater influence from developed nations such as Japan, Europe, and North America. Penetration of air exhibiting aged northern hemisphere characteristics was frequently observed at low altitudes over the equatorial central and western Pacific south to ∼5° S. The relative lack of southern hemisphere biomass burning sources and the westerly position of the South Pacific convergence zone contributed to significantly lower PEM-Tropics B mixing ratios of the NMHCs and CH3Cl south of 10° S compared to PEM-Tropics A. Therefore the trace gas composition of the South Pacific troposphere was considerably more representative of minimally polluted tropospheric conditions during PEM-Tropics B. Copyright 2001 by the American Geophysical Union

Influences of obese (ob/ob) and diabetes (db/db) genotype mutations on lumber vertebral radiological and morphometric indices: Skeletal deformation associated with dysregulated systemic glucometabolism

BACKGROUND: Both diabetes and obesity syndromes are recognized to promote lumbar vertebral instability, premature osteodegeneration, exacerbate progressive osteoporosis and increase the propensity towards vertebral degeneration, instability and deformation in humans. METHODS: The influences of single-gene missense mutations, expressing either diabetes (db/db) or obese (ob/ob) metabolic syndromes on vertebral maturation and development in C57BL/KsJ mice were evaluated by radiological and macro-morphometric analysis of the resulting variances in osteodevelopment indices relative to control parameters between 8 and 16 weeks of age (syndrome onset @ 4 weeks), and the influences of low-dose 17-B-estradiol therapy on vertebral growth expression evaluated. RESULTS: Associated with the indicative genotypic obesity and hyper-glycemic/-insulinemic states, both db/db and ob/ob mutants demonstrated a significant (P ≤ 0.05) elongation of total lumbar vertebrae column (VC) regional length, and individual lumbar vertebrae (LV1-5) lengths, relative to control VC and LV parameters. In contrast, LV1-5 width indices were suppressed in db/db and ob/ob mutants relative to control LV growth rates. Between 8 and 16 weeks of age, the suppressed LV1-5 width indices were sustained in both genotype mutant groups relative to control osteomaturation rates. The severity of LV1-5 width osteosuppression correlated with the severe systemic hyperglycemic and hypertriglyceridemic conditions sustained in ob/ob and db/db mutants. Low-dose 17-B-estradiol therapy (E2-HRx: 1.0 ug/ 0.1 ml oil s.c/3.5 days), initiated at 4 weeks of age (i.e., initial onset phase of db/db and ob/ob expressions) re-established control LV 1–5 width indices without influencing VC or LV lengths in db/db groups. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that the abnormal systemic endometabolic states associated with the expression of db/db and ob/ob genomutation syndromes suppress LV 1–5 width osteomaturation rates, but enhanced development related VC and LV length expression, relative to control indices in a progressive manner similar to recognized human metabolic syndrome conditions. Therapeutic E2 modulation of the hyperglycemic component of diabetes-obesity syndrome protected the regional LV from the mutation-induced osteopenic width-growth suppression. These data suggest that these genotype mutation models may prove valuable for the evaluation of therapeutic methodologies suitable for the treatment of human diabetes- or obesity-influenced, LV degeneration-linked human conditions, which demonstrate amelioration from conventional replacement therapies following diagnosis of systemic syndrome-induced LV osteomaturation-associated deformations

The chaperone protein clusterin may serve as a cerebrospinal fluid biomarker for chronic spinal cord disorders in the dog

Chronic spinal cord dysfunction occurs in dogs as a consequence of diverse aetiologies, including long-standing spinal cord compression and insidious neurodegenerative conditions. One such neurodegenerative condition is canine degenerative myelopathy (DM), which clinically is a challenge to differentiate from other chronic spinal cord conditions. Although the clinical diagnosis of DM can be strengthened by the identification of the Sod1 mutations that are observed in affected dogs, genetic analysis alone is insufficient to provide a definitive diagnosis. There is a requirement to identify biomarkers that can differentiate conditions with a similar clinical presentation, thus facilitating patient diagnostic and management strategies. A comparison of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein gel electrophoresis profile between idiopathic epilepsy (IE) and DM identified a protein band that was more prominent in DM. This band was subsequently found to contain a multifunctional protein clusterin (apolipoprotein J) that is protective against endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated apoptosis, oxidative stress, and also serves as an extracellular chaperone influencing protein aggregation. Western blot analysis of CSF clusterin confirmed elevated levels in DM compared to IE (p < 0.05). Analysis of spinal cord tissue from DM and control material found that clusterin expression was evident in neurons and that the clusterin mRNA levels from tissue extracts were elevated in DM compared to the control. The plasma clusterin levels was comparable between these groups. However, a comparison of clusterin CSF levels in a number of neurological conditions found that clusterin was elevated in both DM and chronic intervertebral disc disease (cIVDD) but not in meningoencephalitis and IE. These findings indicate that clusterin may potentially serve as a marker for chronic spinal cord disease in the dog; however, additional markers are required to differentiate DM from a concurrent condition such as cIVDD

The use of routine outcome measures in two child and adolescent mental health services: a completed audit cycle

Background: Routine outcome measurement (ROM) is important for assessing the clinical effectiveness of health services and for monitoring patient outcomes. Within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the UK the adoption of ROM in CAMHS has been supported by both national and local initiatives (such as government strategies, local commissioning policy, and research). Methods: With the aim of assessing how these policies and initiatives may have influenced the uptake of ROM within two different CAMHS we report the findings of two case-note audits: a baseline audit conducted in January 2011 and a re-audit conducted two years later in December 2012-February 2013. Results: The findings show an increase in both the single and repeated use of outcome measures from the time of the original audit, with repeated use (baseline and follow-up) of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) scale increasing from 10% to 50% of cases. Re-audited case-notes contained more combined use of different outcome measures, with greater consensus on which measures to use. Outcome measures that were applicable across a wide range of clinical conditions were more likely to be used than symptom-specific measures, and measures that were completed by the clinician were found more often than measures completed by the service user. Conclusions: The findings show a substantial improvement in the use of outcome measures within CAMHS. These increases in use were found across different service organisations which were subject to different types of local service priorities and drivers

State of the art in composition, fabrication, characterization, and modeling methods of cement-based thermoelectric materials for low-temperature applications

The worldwide energy crisis and environmental deterioration are probably humanity’s greatest challenges. Thermoelectricity, which allows for the mutual conversion between thermal and electrical energy, has become a promising technology to alleviate this challenge. Increasingly more research focuses on how to fabricate and apply thermoelectric materials for harvesting energy and regulating the indoor thermal environment. However, only a few studies have focused on cementitious materials with thermoelectric potential. Thermoelectric cement is a composite material in which particular additives can enhance the thermoelectric performance of ordinary cement. By potentially replacing traditional construction materials with thermoelectric cement in building applications, electricity could be generated from waste heat, reducing the use of fossil fuels, and supplementing other renewable energy sources like solar and wind. This article presents a review of fundamentals, fabrication, characterization, composition, and performance, as well as modeling methods and opportunities for thermoelectric cement composites. The literature reviewed covers the period from 1998 to 2020 related to thermoelectric cement. It also presents the challenges and problems to overcome for further development and provide future research directions of thermoelectric cement