Wood Nutrient-Water-Density Linkages Are Influenced by Both Species and Environment

Tropical trees store a large amount of nutrients in their woody tissues, thus triggering the question of what the functional association of these elements with other wood traits is. Given the osmotic activity of mineral elements such as potassium, sodium, and calcium, these elements should be strong candidates in mediating the water storing capacity in tropical trees. We investigated the role of wood nutrients in facilitating wood water storage in trees by using branch samples from 48 tropical tree species in South America and examined their associations with wood density (ρ). Wood density varied from 316 kg/m3 in Peru plots, where the soil nutrient status is relatively higher, to 908 kg/m3 in Brazil plots, where the nutrient availability is lower. Phosphorus content in wood varied significantly between plots with lowest values found in French Guiana (1.2 mol/m3) and plots with highest values found in Peru (43.6 mol/m3). Conversely, potassium in woody tissues showed a significant cross-species variation with Minquartia guianensis in Brazil showing the lowest values (8.8 mol/m3) and with Neea divaricata in Peru having the highest values (114 mol/m3). We found that lower wood density trees store more water in their woody tissues with cations, especially potassium, having a positive association with water storage. Specific relationships between wood cation concentrations and stem water storage potential nevertheless depend on both species’ identity and growing location. Tropical trees with increased water storage capacity show lower wood density and have an increased reliance on cations to regulate this reservoir. Our study highlights that cations play a more important role in tropical tree water relations than has previously been thought, with potassium being particularly important

Trace element concentrations in feathers from three seabird species breeding in the Timor Sea

Mobile marine predators, such as seabirds, are frequently used as broad samplers of contaminants that are widespread in the marine environment. The Timor Sea off remote Western Australia is a poorly studied, yet rapidly expanding area of offshore development. To provide much needed data on contamination in this region, we quantified trace element concentrations in breast feathers of three seabird species breeding on Bedout Island. While adult Masked Boobies Sula dactylatra exhibited some of the highest concentrations, values for all species were below toxicology thresholds for seabirds and were comparable to those reported in other closely related species. The low concentrations detected in the birds provide a valuable baseline and suggest that the local marine environment around Bedout is in relatively good condition. However, careful monitoring is warranted in light increasing anthropogenic activity in this region.© 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd. The attached file is the final authors' accepted manuscript version

Experimental determination of zinc isotope fractionation in complexes with the phytosiderophore 2′-deoxymugeneic acid (DMA) and its structural analogues, and implications for plant uptake mechanisms

The stable isotope signatures of zinc and other metals are increasingly used to study plant and soil processes. Complexation with phytosiderophores is a key reaction and understanding the controls of isotope fractionation is central to such studies. Here, we investigated isotope fractionation during complexation of Zn2+ with the phytosiderophore 2′-deoxymugeneic acid (DMA), and with three commercially available structural analogues of DMA: EDTA, TmDTA, and CyDTA. We used ion exchange chromatography to separate free and complexed zinc, and identified appropriate cation exchange resins for the individual systems. These were Chelex-100 for EDTA and CyDTA, Amberlite CG50 for TmDTA and Amberlite IR120 for DMA. With all the ligands we found preferential partitioning of isotopically heavy zinc in the complexed form, and the extent of fractionation was independent of the Zn:ligand ratio used, indicating isotopic equilibrium and that the results were not significantly affected by artifacts during separation. The fractionations (in ‰) were +0.33 ± 0.07 (1σ, n = 3), + 0.45 ± 0.02 (1σ, n = 2), + 0.62 ± 0.05 (1σ, n = 3) and +0.30 ± 0.07 (1σ, n = 4) for EDTA, TmDTA, CyDTA, and DMA, respectively. Despite the similarity in Zn-coordinating donor groups, the fractionation factors are significantly different and extent of fractionation seems proportional to the complexation stability constant. The extent of fractionation with DMA agreed with observed fractionations in zinc uptake by paddy rice in field experiments, supporting the possible involvement of DMA in zinc uptake by rice

Lamprophyre as the Source of Zircon in the Veneto Region, Italy

Discrete zircons, up to 9 mm in length, occur in alluvial deposits from the Veneto area. They are likely derived from the disaggregation of lamprophyric rocks belonging to a regional, pervasive dyke-swarm. Zircon and REE phases occur in both alkaline lamprophyres and connate calcite-bearing felsic lithics and their debris in lamprophyre breccia. We present 36 new complete U–Pb and trace element analyses of zircons and associated inclusions. We used a statistical approach on a larger dataset using new and literature data to evaluate the confidence figure to give an estimation of age of zircons. Inclusions suggest a genetic link with an S–CO2–ZrO–BaO–SrO–CaO-rich fluid/melt possibly associated with carbonate-rich alkaline parental magma and a metasomatised mantle source. This paper confirms the importance of calcite–syenite and lamprophyre genetic link and zircon magmatic origin, in contrast with hydrothermal and metamorphic zircons. U–Pb dating by LA-ICP-MS provides time constrains (40.5–48.4 Ma, Lutetian), consistent with the age of the alkaline magmatic event. Trace element data indicate a link to anorogenic magmatism associated with mantle upwelling. Complex zoning is highlighted by cathodoluminescence images. The Veneto zircons are helpful for regional geological information and may have commercial potential as a critical resource for green technologies

Zinc isotopic compositions of breast cancer tissue

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ The attached file is the published version of the article.An early diagnostic biomarker for breast cancer is essential to improve outcome. High precision isotopic analysis, originating in Earth sciences, can detect very small shifts in metal pathways. For the first time, the natural intrinsic Zn isotopic compositions of various tissues in breast cancer patients and controls were determined. Breast cancer tumours were found to have a significantly lighter Zn isotopic composition than the blood, serum and healthy breast tissue in both groups. The Zn isotopic lightness in tumours suggests that sulphur rich metallothionein dominates the isotopic selectivity of a breast tissue cell, rather than Zn-specific proteins. This reveals a possible mechanism of Zn delivery to Zn-sequestering vesicles by metallothionein, and is supported by a similar signature observed in the copper isotopic compositions of one breast cancer patient. This change in intrinsic isotopic compositions due to cancer has the potential to provide a novel early biomarker for breast cancer.This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ The attached file is the published version of the article

The Cd isotope composition of atmospheric aerosols from the Tropical Atlantic Ocean

Stable isotope compositions can potentially be used to trace atmospheric Cd inputs to the surface ocean and anthropogenic Cd emissions to the atmosphere. Both of these applications may provide valuable insights into the effects of anthropogenic activities on the cycling of Cd in the environment. However, a lack of constraints for the Cd isotope compositions of atmospheric aerosols is currently hindering such studies. Here we present stable Cd isotope data for aerosols collected over the Tropical Atlantic Ocean. The samples feature variable proportions of mineral dust-derived and anthropogenic Cd, yet exhibit similar isotope compositions, thus negating the distinction of these Cd sources by using isotopic signatures in this region. Isotopic variability between these two atmospheric Cd sources may be identified in other areas, and thus warrants further investigation. Regardless, these data provide important initial constraints on the isotope composition of atmospheric Cd inputs to the ocean

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Paediatric acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology : a national investigation and adenoviraemia case-control study in the UK

Funding Information: This work was undertaken as part of a national enhanced incident by UK public health agencies. We thank the parents and guardians of the children who gave up their valuable time to speak to the public health investigation teams; without their support we could not have been able to undertake a thorough investigation. We are grateful to the many paediatricians and liver specialists who reported cases to us and responded to follow-up with further information. We also thank Ezra Linley and Simon Tonge of the UK Health Security Agency Seroepidemiology Unit for rapidly providing serum samples for testing. We would like to thank the Incident Management Teams of the UK nations, members of the incident cells, epidemiology, laboratory, and local Health Protection Teams who supported the investigations, in particular: Katy Sinka, Mike Gent, Suzanna Howes, Eileen Gallagher, Selene Corsini, Eleanor Clarke, Rajani Raghu, Kelsey Mowat, Iain Hayden, Matt Hibbert, Skye Firminger, Catriona Angel, Donna Haskins, Kay Ratcliffe, Hannah Emmett, Alex Elliot, Helen Hughes, Sarah Deeny, Sarah Garner, Sarah Gerver, Flora Stevens, Paula Blomquist, Gabriel Gurmail Kauffman, Kristine Cooper, Hannah Taylor, Giovanni Leonardi, Michelle Dickinson and Michelle Watson from England; Kimberly Marsh, Michael Lockhart, David Yirrell, Sandra Currie, Kate Templeton, Samantha Shepherd, Roisin Ure, Jim McMenamin, Rachel Tayler, Louisa Pollock, Antonia Ho, Chris Cunningham and Hayley Peacock from Scotland; and Katie Binley and Meg Wallace from Northern Ireland.Peer reviewe