A Polymerase-chain-reaction Assay for the Specific Identification of Transcripts Encoded by Individual Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA)-gene-family Members

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a tumor marker that belongs to a family of closely related molecules with variable expression patterns. We have developed sets of oligonucleotide primers for the specific amplification of transcripts from individual CEA-family members using the reverse transcriptase/ polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR). Specific primer sets were designed for CEA, non-specific cross-reacting antigen (NCA), biliary glycoprotein (BGP), carcinoembryonic antigen gene-family members 1, 6 and 7 (CGMI, CGM6 and CGM7), and one set for all pregnancy-specific glycoprotein (PSG) transcripts. Primers were first tested for their specificity against individual cDNA clones and product-hybridization with internal, transcript-specific oligonucleotides. Total RNA from 12 brain and 63 gynecological tumors were then tested for expression of CEA-related transcripts. None were found in tumors located in the brain, including various mesenchymal and neuro-epithelial tumors. CEA and NCA transcripts were, however, present in an adenocarcinoma located in the nasal sinuses. In ovarian mucinous adenocarcinomas, we always found co-expression of CEA and NCA transcripts, and occasionally BGP mRNA. CEA-related transcripts were also found in some serous, endometrioid and clear-cell ovarian carcinomas. CEA, NCA and BGP transcripts were present in endometrial carcinomas of the uterus and cervical carcinomas, whereas uterine leiomyomas were completely negative. No transcripts were found from CGM 1, CGM6, CGM7 or from PSG genes in any of the tumors tested. The PCR data were compared with immunohistochemical investigations of ovarian tumors at the protein level using CEA (26/3/13)-, NCA-50/90 (9A6FR) and NCA-95 (80H3)-specific monoclonal antibodies

Can preferential credit programs speed up the adoption of low-carbon agricultural systems in Mato Grosso, Brazil? Results from bioeconomic microsimulation

The need to balance agricultural production and environmental protection shifted the focus of Brazilian land-use policy toward sustainable agriculture. In 2010, Brazil established preferential credit lines to finance investments into low-carbon integrated agricultural systems of crop, livestock and forestry. This article presents a simulation-based empirical assessment of integrated system adoption in the state of Mato Grosso, where highly mechanized soybean–cotton and soybean–maize doublecrop systems currently prevail. We employ bioeconomic modeling to explicitly capture the heterogeneity of farm level costs and benefits of adoption. By parameterizing and validating our simulations with both empirical and experimental data, we evaluate the effectiveness of the ABC Integration credit through indicators such as land-use change, adoption rates and budgetary costs of credit provision. Alternative scenarios reveal that specific credit conditions might speed up the diffusion of low-carbon agricultural systems in Mato Grosso

A nocturnal atmospheric loss of CH2I2 in the remote marine boundary layer.

Ocean emissions of inorganic and organic iodine compounds drive the biogeochemical cycle of iodine and produce reactive ozone-destroying iodine radicals that influence the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere. Di-iodomethane (CH2I2) and chloro-iodomethane (CH2ICl) are the two most important organic iodine precursors in the marine boundary layer. Ship-borne measurements made during the TORERO (Tropical Ocean tRoposphere Exchange of Reactive halogens and Oxygenated VOC) field campaign in the east tropical Pacific Ocean in January/February 2012 revealed strong diurnal cycles of CH2I2 and CH2ICl in air and of CH2I2 in seawater. Both compounds are known to undergo rapid photolysis during the day, but models assume no night-time atmospheric losses. Surprisingly, the diurnal cycle of CH2I2 was lower in amplitude than that of CH2ICl, despite its faster photolysis rate. We speculate that night-time loss of CH2I2 occurs due to reaction with NO3 radicals. Indirect results from a laboratory study under ambient atmospheric boundary layer conditions indicate a k CH2I2+NO3 of ≤4 × 10-13 cm3 molecule-1 s-1; a previous kinetic study carried out at ≤100 Torr found k CH2I2+NO3 of 4 × 10-13 cm3 molecule-1 s-1. Using the 1-dimensional atmospheric THAMO model driven by sea-air fluxes calculated from the seawater and air measurements (averaging 1.8 +/- 0.8 nmol m-2 d-1 for CH2I2 and 3.7 +/- 0.8 nmol m-2 d-1 for CH2ICl), we show that the model overestimates night-time CH2I2 by >60 % but reaches good agreement with the measurements when the CH2I2 + NO3 reaction is included at 2-4 × 10-13 cm3 molecule-1 s-1. We conclude that the reaction has a significant effect on CH2I2 and helps reconcile observed and modeled concentrations. We recommend further direct measurements of this reaction under atmospheric conditions, including of product branching ratios.LJC acknowledges NERC (NE/J00619X/1) and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) for funding. The laboratory work was supported by the NERC React-SCI (NE/K005448/1) and RONOCO (NE/F005466/1) grants.This is the final version of the article. It was first available from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10874-015-9320-

The global atmospheric electrical circuit and climate

Evidence is emerging for physical links among clouds, global temperatures, the global atmospheric electrical circuit and cosmic ray ionisation. The global circuit extends throughout the atmosphere from the planetary surface to the lower layers of the ionosphere. Cosmic rays are the principal source of atmospheric ions away from the continental boundary layer: the ions formed permit a vertical conduction current to flow in the fair weather part of the global circuit. Through the (inverse) solar modulation of cosmic rays, the resulting columnar ionisation changes may allow the global circuit to convey a solar influence to meteorological phenomena of the lower atmosphere. Electrical effects on non-thunderstorm clouds have been proposed to occur via the ion-assisted formation of ultra-fine aerosol, which can grow to sizes able to act as cloud condensation nuclei, or through the increased ice nucleation capability of charged aerosols. Even small atmospheric electrical modulations on the aerosol size distribution can affect cloud properties and modify the radiative balance of the atmosphere, through changes communicated globally by the atmospheric electrical circuit. Despite a long history of work in related areas of geophysics, the direct and inverse relationships between the global circuit and global climate remain largely quantitatively unexplored. From reviewing atmospheric electrical measurements made over two centuries and possible paleoclimate proxies, global atmospheric electrical circuit variability should be expected on many timescale

Loss of the soil carbon storage function of drained forested peatlands

Peatlands form a large but unstable C store. Drainage of peatlands converts them into C sources, which is undesirable if increases in atmospheric CO2 levels are to be minimised. Therefore, quantification of C stocks and an understanding of which ecosystems or management regimes are capturing or emitting C is needed. Such information is scarce for temperate European forests. We studied the soil properties of sixteen peatlands in Switzerland, representing three forest types, to test whether peatlands that are more strongly affected by drainage (according to vegetation) have lost their function as C sinks or stores. Bulk density and ash enrichment, as well as H/C, O/C and C/N quotients, indicated that the soils of the two forest types that appeared to be more strongly affected by drainage were more degraded and had lost their functions as C stores. Long-term net rates of C loss estimated using the ash residue method were similar across all three forest types, for sites where this could be estimated

The UV-visible absorption cross-sections of IONO₂

International audienceThe UV-visible absorption spectrum of gaseous IONO2 has been measured over the wavelength range 245--415 nm using the technique of laser photolysis with time-resolved UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. IONO2 was produced in situ in the gas phase by laser flash photolysis of NO2/CF3I/N2 mixtures. Post-flash spectra were deconvolved to remove contributions to the observed absorption from other reactant and product species. The resulting spectrum attributed to IONO2 consists of several overlapping broad absorption bands. Assuming a quantum yield of unity for IONO2 photolysis, model calculations show that during sunlit hours at noon, 53° N, the first order solar photolysis rate coefficient (J value) for IONO2 is 4.6 x 10-2 s-1