Global maps of soil temperature.

Research in global change ecology relies heavily on global climatic grids derived from estimates of air temperature in open areas at around 2 m above the ground. These climatic grids do not reflect conditions below vegetation canopies and near the ground surface, where critical ecosystem functions occur and most terrestrial species reside. Here, we provide global maps of soil temperature and bioclimatic variables at a 1-km <sup>2</sup> resolution for 0-5 and 5-15 cm soil depth. These maps were created by calculating the difference (i.e. offset) between in situ soil temperature measurements, based on time series from over 1200 1-km <sup>2</sup> pixels (summarized from 8519 unique temperature sensors) across all the world's major terrestrial biomes, and coarse-grained air temperature estimates from ERA5-Land (an atmospheric reanalysis by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts). We show that mean annual soil temperature differs markedly from the corresponding gridded air temperature, by up to 10°C (mean = 3.0 ± 2.1°C), with substantial variation across biomes and seasons. Over the year, soils in cold and/or dry biomes are substantially warmer (+3.6 ± 2.3°C) than gridded air temperature, whereas soils in warm and humid environments are on average slightly cooler (-0.7 ± 2.3°C). The observed substantial and biome-specific offsets emphasize that the projected impacts of climate and climate change on near-surface biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are inaccurately assessed when air rather than soil temperature is used, especially in cold environments. The global soil-related bioclimatic variables provided here are an important step forward for any application in ecology and related disciplines. Nevertheless, we highlight the need to fill remaining geographic gaps by collecting more in situ measurements of microclimate conditions to further enhance the spatiotemporal resolution of global soil temperature products for ecological applications

Pathology of tumors associated with pathogenic germline variants in 9 breast cancer susceptibility genes

IMPORTANCE Rare germline genetic variants in several genes are associated with increased breast cancer (BC) risk, but their precise contributions to different disease subtypes are unclear. This information is relevant to guidelines for gene panel testing and risk prediction.OBJECTIVE To characterize tumors associated with BC susceptibility genes in large-scale population- or hospital-based studies.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The multicenter, international case-control analysis of the BRIDGES study included 42 680 patients and 46 387 control participants, comprising women aged 18 to 79 years who were sampled independently of family history from 38 studies. Studies were conducted between 1991 and 2016. Sequencing and analysis took place between 2016 and 2021.EXPOSURES Protein-truncating variants and likely pathogenic missense variants in ATM, BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, PALB2, RAD51C, RAD51D, and TP53.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The intrinsic-like BC subtypes as defined by estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and ERBB2 (formerly known as HER2) status, and tumor grade; morphology; size; stage; lymph node involvement; subtype-specific odds ratios (ORs) for carrying protein-truncating variants and pathogenic missense variants in the 9 BC susceptibility genes.RESULTS The mean (SD) ages at interview (control participants) and diagnosis (cases) were 55.1 (11.9) and 55.8 (10.6) years, respectively; all participants were of European or East Asian ethnicity. There was substantial heterogeneity in the distribution of intrinsic subtypes by gene. RAD51C, RAD51D, and BARD1 variants were associated mainly with triple-negative disease (OR, 6.19 [95% CI, 3.17-12.12]; OR, 6.19 [95% CI, 2.99-12.79]; and OR, 10.05 [95% CI, 5.27-19.19], respectively). CHEK2 variants were associated with all subtypes (with ORs ranging from 2.21-3.17) except for triple-negative disease. For ATM variants, the association was strongest for the hormone receptor (HR)(+)ERBB2(-) high-grade subtype (OR, 4.99; 95% CI, 3.68-6.76). BRCA1 was associated with increased risk of all subtypes, but the ORs varied widely, being highest for triple-negative disease (OR, 55.32; 95% CI, 40.51-75.55). BRCA2 and PALB2 variants were also associated with triple-negative disease. TP53 variants were most strongly associated with HR(+)ERBB2(+) and HR(-)ERBB2(+) subtypes. Tumors occurring in pathogenic variant carriers were of higher grade. For most genes and subtypes, a decline in ORs was observed with increasing age. Together, the 9 genes were associated with 27.3% of all triple-negative tumors in women 40 years or younger.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The results of this case-control study suggest that variants in the 9 BC risk genes differ substantially in their associated pathology but are generally associated with triple-negative and/or high-grade disease. Knowing the age and tumor subtype distributions associated with individual BC genes can potentially aid guidelines for gene panel testing, risk prediction, and variant classification and guide targeted screening strategies.Genome Instability and Cance

Association of the CHEK2 c.1100delC variant, radiotherapy, and systemic treatment with contralateral breast cancer risk and breast cancer-specific survival

Background Breast cancer (BC) patients with a germline CHEK2 c.1100delC variant have an increased risk of contralateral BC (CBC) and worse BC-specific survival (BCSS) compared to non-carriers. Aim To assessed the associations of CHEK2 c.1100delC, radiotherapy, and systemic treatment with CBC risk and BCSS. Methods Analyses were based on 82,701 women diagnosed with a first primary invasive BC including 963 CHEK2 c.1100delC carriers; median follow-up was 9.1 years. Differential associations with treatment by CHEK2 c.1100delC status were tested by including interaction terms in a multivariable Cox regression model. A multi-state model was used for further insight into the relation between CHEK2 c.1100delC status, treatment, CBC risk and death. Results There was no evidence for differential associations of therapy with CBC risk by CHEK2 c.1100delC status. The strongest association with reduced CBC risk was observed for the combination of chemotherapy and endocrine therapy [HR (95% CI): 0.66 (0.55–0.78)]. No association was observed with radiotherapy. Results from the multi-state model showed shorter BCSS for CHEK2 c.1100delC carriers versus non-carriers also after accounting for CBC occurrence [HR (95% CI): 1.30 (1.09–1.56)]. Conclusion Systemic therapy was associated with reduced CBC risk irrespective of CHEK2 c.1100delC status. Moreover, CHEK2 c.1100delC carriers had shorter BCSS, which appears not to be fully explained by their CBC risk

Applicability of Time Domain Reflectometry Water Content Measurements in Municipal Solid Waste

International audienceWater content (θ) and distribution are important parameters for landfill operators because θ is generally considered a key factor for the degradation of municipal solid waste (MSW) in landfills. This study investigated the applicability of time domain reflectometry (TDR) for the determination of θ. Although TDR is commonly applied to soils, only a few researchers have explored the sensitivity of its measurements to various parameters in MSW, which is a heterogeneous and time-evolving material. The aim of this study was to evaluate the calibration of TDR probes in MSW and to quantify the sensitivity of the method to the waste's characteristics and to the distribution of water in the material. The sensitivity of TDR was quantified relative to MSW composition and density, the initial θ and θ distribution, the electrical conductivity (EC) of the fluid, and the rate of change in θ. Experiments were conducted on two different waste materials and on a sand-gravel mixture in a small-scale laboratory cell. The relationship between TDR measurement and true θ was calibrated for all experiments. The effect of waste composition and density appeared to be minor compared with the effect of the initial θ and the θ distribution around the probes. This research opens a way for an effective use of TDR in large-scale experiments with MSW

Long-term moisture measurements in large-scale bioreactor cells using TDR and neutron probes

International audienceThis paper investigates the measurement of moisture content in municipal solid waste using two different indirect techniques: neutron scattering and time-domain reflectometry (TDR). Therefore, six laboratory-scale landfill bioreactors were instrumented with both neutron and TDR probes; in addition to that a gravimetric moisture balance was established for each cell. Different leachate recirculation modes were applied to perform different wetting conditions. In a first step, both probes were calibrated based on the water balance from three cells presenting homogeneous water distributions and sufficient temporal moisture variations. The calibration functions were then used for temporal and spatial moisture monitoring of all six cells. The results show that both methods are sensitive to moisture variations and provide interesting information on the complexity of vertical flows within the municipal solid waste. Nevertheless, it appears that neutron scattering offers better accuracy at the laboratory scale

Utility of computed tomography (CT) and of fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in early diagnosis of fungal pulmonary infections : study of infections from filamentous fungi in haematologically immunodeficient patients = Utilità della tomografia computerizzata (TC) e dell'agobiopsia (FNAB) nella diagnosi precoce delle flogosi fungine polmonari : studio delle infezioni da funghi filamentosi in pazienti ematologici immunodepressi

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of percutaneous computed tomography (CT)-guided lung biopsy in the early diagnosis of fungal pulmonary infections. Materials and methods. Between 1997 and 2003, 18 haematogically immunodeficient patients with suspected filamentous fungi infection and negative bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) Underwent percutancous pulmonary biopsy to diagnose the nature of the infection. In all cases, infection developed during the post-chemotherapy bone marrow aplasia period. Results. Thirteen out Of 18 patients had histologic findings positive for fungal infection: 8 Aspergillus and 5 Mucor. In 3 cases, biopsy was not specific, and in one case, the tissue sample was inadequate for a diagnosis; however, clinical course and response to drugs were compatible with fungal infection. In one patient, biopsy was positive for bronchoalveolar carcinoma. The sensitivity of percutaneous CT-guided biopsy was 80% and its positive predictive value was 100%. We only had one pneumothorax as a complication. Conclusions. Percutaneous CT-guided lung biopsy is all easy, Safe and reliable procedure to obtain diagnostic material. Histological discrimination between Aspergillus and Mucor is important in order to plan the correct therapeutic protocols, as Mucor is usually resistant to azoles