Significance of the oceanic CO(2 )sink for national carbon accounts

BACKGROUND: Under the United Nations convention on the law of the sea (1982), each participating country maintains exclusive economic and environmental rights within the oceanic region extending 200 nm from its coastline, known as the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Although the ocean within each EEZ has a vast capacity to absorb anthropogenic CO(2 )and therefore potentially be used as a carbon sink, it is not mentioned within the Kyoto Protocol most likely due to inadequate quantitative estimates. Here, I use two methods to estimate the anthropogenic CO(2 )storage and uptake for a typically large EEZ (Australia). RESULTS: Depending on whether the Antarctic territory is included I find that during the 1990s between 30–40% of Australia's fossil-fuel CO(2 )emissions were absorbed by its own EEZ. CONCLUSION: This example highlights the potential significance of the EEZ carbon sink for national carbon accounts. However, this 'natural anthropogenic CO(2 )sink' could be used as a disincentive for certain nations to reduce their anthropogenic CO(2 )emissions, which would ultimately dampen global efforts to reduce atmospheric CO(2 )concentrations. Since the oceanic anthropogenic CO(2 )sink has limited ability to be controlled by human activities, current and future international climate change policies should have an explicit 'EEZ' clause excluding its use within national carbon accounts

Strengthening student engagement: evaluating the role of the digital skills agenda in higher education.

Digital technology can contribute to all three areas of the TEF: teaching quality; learning environment; and student outcomes (Davies S, Mullan and Feldman 2017). Digital skills are helpful in designing enhanced and effective learning activities (Copley 2007), as multimedia promotes interests and engagement. It provides flexibility for students, in terms of where and when they can undertake their learning activity. It therefore improves student experience and outcomes (Davies S, Mullan and Feldman 2017). Its use enhances feedback: task feedback through online submissions; process feedback through audio and video feedbacks; and self-regulation feedback through computer simulation, as well as anonymous instructor and peer feedback (Hattie 2012). It can help in developing effective learning environments, from basic websites to augmented reality simulations (Dreyer and Nel, 2003). Therefore, in the present environment, digital agenda should be an integral part of continuing professional development (CPD)

Impacts of ocean acidification in naturally variable coral reef flat ecosystems

Ocean acidification leads to changes in marine carbonate chemistry that are predicted to cause a decline in future coral reef calcification. Several laboratory and mesocosm experiments have described calcification responses of species and communities to increasing CO 2. The few in situ studies on natural coral reefs that have been carried out to date have shown a direct relationship between aragonite saturation state ( arag) and net community calcification (G net). However, these studies have been performed over a limited range of arag values, where extrapolation outside the observational range is required to predict future changes in coral reef calcification. We measured extreme diurnal variability in carbonate chemistry within a reef flat in the southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. arag varied between 1.1 and 6.5, thus exceeding the magnitude of change expected this century in open ocean subtropical/tropical waters. The observed variability comes about through biological activity on the reef, where changes to the carbonate chemistry are enhanced at low tide when reef flat waters are isolated from open ocean water. We define a relationship between net community calcification and arag, using our in situ measurements. We find net community calcification to be linearly related to arag, while temperature and nutrients had no significant effect on G net. Using our relationship between G net and arag, we predict that net community calcification will decline by 55% of its preindustrial value by the end of the century. It is not known at this stage whether exposure to large variability in carbonate chemistry will make reef flat organisms more or less vulnerable to the non-calcifying physiological effects of increasing ocean CO 2 and future laboratory studies will need to incorporate this natural variability to address this question

Changes in eating behavior, taste and food preferences and the effects of gastrointestinal hormones

Summary: Eating behavior is a complex response to different internal and external factors and whose aim is to preserve the homeostasis of energy intake, the stability of body weight and ultimately health. Although under physiological conditions, energy intake is relatively stable over the long period, many stimuli (i.e., mechanical, metabolic, environmental, etc.) may acutely influence energy intake. To offset or minimize the effects of such stimuli on energy homeostasis, humans are equipped with neuronal complex mechanisms integrating peripheral and environmental signals. In particular, eating behavior is determined by homeostatic feeding and hedonic feeding. In the presence of changes in taste or smell, these mechanisms interact with peripheral effectors, including gastrointestinal peptides, to preserve energy intake and ultimately body weight. Aging is associated with a progressive inability of these systems to protect net food intake. Also, changes of eating behavior during disease appear to be related to the activation of a specific neuronal emergency circuit, which promotes anorexia. The persistence during evolution of the emergency pathway suggests that still unidentified component of anorexia and fasting metabolism could be exploited to enhance recovery of patients with acute and possibly chronic diseases. Keywords: Food intake, Hypothalamus, Neurotransmitters, Leptin, Ghrelin, Cholecystokini

Refrigerator Efficiency in Ghana: Tailoring an appliance markettransformation program design for Africa

A simple replication of developed country applianceefficiency labels and standards is unlikely to be feasible in Ghana andmany other countries in Africa. Yet by creatively modifying the developedcountry appliance efficiency market transformation model, it should bepossible to achieve dramatic energy use reductions. As was true indeveloped countries in the previous two decades, refrigeration efficiencyimprovements provide the greatest energy savings potential in theresidential electricity sector in Ghana. Although Ghana, like manyAfrican countries may impose standards on imports since Ghana does nothave manufacturing facilities for appliances in country. This approachmay hurt some consumers who patronize a very diverse market of usedappliances imported from Europe. We discuss how meeting the challenges ofthe Ghanaian market will require modification of the usual energyefficiency labeling and standards paradigm. But once a refrigeratormarket transformation is accomplished in Ghana, we estimate an averageenergy savings potential of 550 kWh/refrigerator/year, and a monetarysavings of more than $35/refrigerator/year. We discuss how this modifiedrefrigerator efficiency market transformation may occur in the Ghanaiancontext. If successful, this market transformation is likely to be anexample for many other African countries

The role of CO2 variability and exposure time for biological impacts of ocean acidification

Biological impacts of ocean acidification have mostly been studied using future levels of CO without consideration of natural variability or how this modulates both duration and magnitude of CO exposure. Here we combine results from laboratory studies on coral reef fish with diurnal in situ CO data from a shallow coral reef, to demonstrate how natural variability alters exposure times for marine organisms under increasingly high-CO conditions. Large in situ CO variability already results in exposure of coral reef fish to short-term CO levels higher than laboratory-derived critical CO levels (∼600 μatm). However, we suggest that the in situ exposure time is presently insufficient to induce negative effects observed in laboratory studies. Our results suggest that both exposure time and the magnitude of CO levels will be important in determining the response of organisms to future ocean acidification, where both will increase markedly with future increases in CO. Key Points Seawater CO2 variability alters in situ CO2 exposure time and magnitude Fish are presently exposed to short-term CO2 levels above critical values Acidification experiments should consider both CO2 level and exposure time

From planetesimals to terrestrial planets: N-body simulations including the effects of nebular gas and giant planets

We present results from a suite of N-body simulations that follow the accretion history of the terrestrial planets using a new parallel treecode that we have developed. We initially place 2000 equal size planetesimals between 0.5--4.0 AU and the collisional growth is followed until the completion of planetary accretion (> 100 Myr). All the important effect of gas in laminar disks are taken into account: the aerodynamic gas drag, the disk-planet interaction including Type I migration, and the global disk potential which causes inward migration of secular resonances as the gas dissipates. We vary the initial total mass and spatial distribution of the planetesimals, the time scale of dissipation of nebular gas, and orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. We end up with one to five planets in the terrestrial region. In order to maintain sufficient mass in this region in the presence of Type I migration, the time scale of gas dissipation needs to be 1-2 Myr. The final configurations and collisional histories strongly depend on the orbital eccentricity of Jupiter. If today's eccentricity of Jupiter is used, then most of bodies in the asteroidal region are swept up within the terrestrial region owing to the inward migration of the secular resonance, and giant impacts between protoplanets occur most commonly around 10 Myr. If the orbital eccentricity of Jupiter is close to zero, as suggested in the Nice model, the effect of the secular resonance is negligible and a large amount of mass stays for a long period of time in the asteroidal region. With a circular orbit for Jupiter, giant impacts usually occur around 100 Myr, consistent with the accretion time scale indicated from isotope records. However, we inevitably have an Earth size planet at around 2 AU in this case. It is very difficult to obtain spatially concentrated terrestrial planets together with very late giant impacts.Comment: 51 pages, 19 figures, 2 tables, published in Icaru

Clinical Characterization and Diagnostic Approaches for Patients Reporting Hypersensitivity Reactions to Quinolones

[EN] BACKGROUND: Quinolones are the second most frequent cause of hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) to antibiotics. A marked increase in the number of patients with HSRs to quinolones has been detected. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical characteristics of patients with HSRs to quinolones and present methods for their diagnosis. METHODS: Patients attending the allergy unit due to reactions suggestive of HSRs to quinolones were prospectively evaluated between 2005 and 2018. Diagnosis was achieved using clinical history, skin tests (STs), basophil activation tests (BATs), and drug provocation tests (DPTs) if ST and BAT results were negative. RESULTS: We included 128 subjects confirmed as having HSRs to quinolones and 42 found to be tolerant. Anaphylaxis was the most frequent entity in immediate HSRs and was most commonly induced by moxifloxacin. Patients were evaluated a median of 150 days (interquartile range, 60-365 days) after the reaction. Of patients who underwent ST and BAT, 40.7% and 70%, respectively, were positive. DPT with a quinolone was performed in 48 cases, giving results depending on the culprit drug: when moxifloxacin was involved, 62.5% of patients gave a positive DPT result to ciprofloxacin, whereas none reacted to levofloxacin. The risk of HSR was 96 times higher in subjects who reported moxifloxacin-induced anaphylaxis and 18 times higher in those reporting immediate reactions compared with clinical entities induced by quinolones other than moxi-floxacin and nonimmediate reactions. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of HSR to quinolones is complex. The use of clinical history is essential as a first step. BAT shows higher sensitivity than STs. DPTs can be useful for finding safe alternative quinolones.The present study has been supported by the Institute of Health "Carlos III" of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grants cofounded by European Regional Development Fund: RETIC ARADYALRD16/0006/0001, RD16/0006/0010, RD16/0006/0019, and RD16/0006/0030). I.D. is a clinical investigator (B0001-2017) from Consejeria de Salud of the Andalusian government, Junta de Andalucia. N.P.-S. holds a Rio Hortega research contract (CM17/0014), and E.B. a Juan Rodes research contract (JR18/00049), both from the Institute of Health "Carlos III," Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grants cofounded by the European Social Fund).Doña, I.; Pérez-Sánchez, N.; Salas, M.; Barrionuevo, E.; Ruiz-San Francisco, A.; Hernández Fernández De Rojas, D.; Martí-Garrido, J.... (2020). Clinical Characterization and Diagnostic Approaches for Patients Reporting Hypersensitivity Reactions to Quinolones. 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