Modeling esophageal protection from radiofrequency ablation via a cooling device: an analysis of the effects of ablation power and heart wall dimensions.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal thermal injury can occur after radiofrequency (RF) ablation in the left atrium to treat atrial fibrillation. Existing methods to prevent esophageal injury have various limitations in deployment and uncertainty in efficacy. A new esophageal heat transfer device currently available for whole-body cooling or warming may offer an additional option to prevent esophageal injury. We sought to develop a mathematical model of this process to guide further studies and clinical investigations and compare results to real-world clinical data. RESULTS: The model predicts that the esophageal cooling device, even with body-temperature water flow (37 °C) provides a reduction in esophageal thermal injury compared to the case of the non-protected esophagus, with a non-linear direct relationship between lesion depth and the cooling water temperature. Ablation power and cooling water temperature have a significant influence on the peak temperature and the esophageal lesion depth, but even at high RF power up to 50 W, over durations up to 20 s, the cooling device can reduce thermal impact on the esophagus. The model concurs with recent clinical data showing an 83% reduction in transmural thermal injury when using typical operating parameters. CONCLUSIONS: An esophageal cooling device appears effective for esophageal protection during atrial fibrillation, with model output supporting clinical data. Analysis of the impact of ablation power and heart wall dimensions suggests that cooling water temperature can be adjusted for specific ablation parameters to assure the desired myocardial tissue ablation while keeping the esophagus protected

Safety evaluation for packaging for onsite transfer of B Plant organic waste

This safety evaluation for packaging authorizes the use of a 17,500-L (4,623-gal) tank manufactured by Brenner Tank, Incorporated, to transport up to 16,221 L (4,285 gal) of radioactive organic liquid waste. The waste will be transported from the organic loading pad to a storage pad. Both pads are within the B Plant complex, but approximately 4 mi apart

Studying the impact of biomass burning aerosol radiative and climate effects on the Amazon rainforest productivity with an Earth system model

Diffuse light conditions can increase the efficiency of photosynthesis and carbon uptake by vegetation canopies. The diffuse fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) can be affected by either a change in the atmospheric aerosol burden and/or a change in cloudiness. During the dry season, a hotspot of biomass burning on the edges of the Amazon rainforest emits a complex mixture of aerosols and their precursors and climate-active trace gases (e.g. CO2, CH4, NOx). This creates potential for significant interactions between chemistry, aerosol, cloud, radiation and the biosphere across the Amazon region. The combined effects of biomass burning on the terrestrial carbon cycle for the present day are potentially large, yet poorly quantified. Here, we quantify such effects using the Met Office Hadley Centre Earth system model HadGEM2-ES, which provides a fully coupled framework with interactive aerosol, radiative transfer, dynamic vegetation, atmospheric chemistry and biogenic volatile organic compound emission components. Results show that for present day, defined as year 2000 climate, the overall net impact of biomass burning aerosols is to increase net primary productivity (NPP) by +80 to +105 TgC yr−1, or 1.9 % to 2.7 %, over the central Amazon Basin on annual mean. For the first time we show that this enhancement is the net result of multiple competing effects: an increase in diffuse light which stimulates photosynthetic activity in the shaded part of the canopy (+65 to +110 TgC yr−1), a reduction in the total amount of radiation (−52 to −105 TgC yr−1) which reduces photosynthesis and feedback from climate adjustments in response to the aerosol forcing which increases the efficiency of biochemical processes (+67 to +100 TgC yr−1). These results illustrate that despite a modest direct aerosol effect (the sum of the first two counteracting mechanisms), the overall net impact of biomass burning aerosols on vegetation is sizeable when indirect climate feedbacks are considered. We demonstrate that capturing the net impact of aerosols on vegetation should be assessed considering the system-wide behaviour

Malolactic Fermentation Induced by Lactobacillus plantarum in Malbec Wines from Argentina

The current market requirements to obtain wines with enhanced complexity and varietal character proposethe finding of new microorganisms capable of driving the malolactic fermentation (MLF) and contributingto new and distinctive sensory profiles in wines. During MLF, malic acid naturally present in the must isconverted into lactic acid by a decarboxylation reaction driven by lactic acid bacteria. Recently, a newstrain of Lactobacillus plantarum suitable for MLF in high-pH wines was selected. This study evaluatesthe capacity of the L. plantarum V22 starter culture to complete MLF at laboratory and semi-industrialscale in different Malbec musts from Argentina. Malbec musts were co-inoculated with S. cerevisiae D254and L. plantarum V22 to conduct alcoholic fermentation and MLF respectively. Two groups of Malbecmusts were identified according to the ability of L. plantarum to consume malic acid. A first group, called“High Feasibility for MLF”, is characterised by the high viability of L. plantarum and the completion ofMLF. On the other hand, a second group was identified, termed “Partial Feasibility for MLF”, and ischaracterised by a decreased viability of L. plantarum and incomplete MLF. This study shows that thecapacity of L. plantarum to conduct MLF in Malbec musts is dependent on must composition, furthersuggesting that the evolution of pH during the fermentation process, rather than initial pH, is a criticalfactor affecting the successful completion of MLF

Vegetation distribution and terrestrial carbon cycle in a carbon cycle configuration of JULES4.6 with new plant functional types

This is the final version. Available on open access from EGU via the DOI in this recordDynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) are used for studying historical and future changes to vegetation and the terrestrial carbon cycle. JULES (the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator) represents the land surface in the Hadley Centre climate models and in the UK Earth System Model. Recently the number of plant functional types (PFTs) in JULES was expanded from five to nine to better represent functional diversity in global ecosystems. Here we introduce a more mechanistic representation of vegetation dynamics in TRIFFID, the dynamic vegetation component of JULES, which allows for any number of PFTs to compete based solely on their height; therefore, the previous hardwired dominance hierarchy is removed. With the new set of nine PFTs, JULES is able to more accurately reproduce global vegetation distribution compared to the former five PFT version. Improvements include the coverage of trees within tropical and boreal forests and a reduction in shrubs, the latter of which dominated at high latitudes. We show that JULES is able to realistically represent several aspects of the global carbon (C) cycle. The simulated gross primary productivity (GPP) is within the range of observations, but simulated net primary productivity (NPP) is slightly too high. GPP in JULES from 1982 to 2011 is 133PgCyrg'1, compared to observation-based estimates (over the same time period) between 1238 and 150-175PgCyrg'1. NPP from 2000 to 2013 is 72PgCyrg'1, compared to satellite-derived NPP of 55PgCyrg'1 over the same period and independent estimates of 56.214.3PgCyrg'1. The simulated carbon stored in vegetation is 542PgC, compared to an observation-based range of 400-600PgC. Soil carbon is much lower (1422PgC) than estimates from measurements ( > 2400PgC), with large underestimations of soil carbon in the tropical and boreal forests. We also examined some aspects of the historical terrestrial carbon sink as simulated by JULES. Between the 1900s and 2000s, increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels enhanced vegetation productivity and litter inputs into the soils, while land use change removed vegetation and reduced soil carbon. The result is a simulated increase in soil carbon of 57PgC but a decrease in vegetation carbon of 98PgC. The total simulated loss of soil and vegetation carbon due to land use change is 138PgC from 1900 to 2009, compared to a recent observationally constrained estimate of 15550PgC from 1901 to 2012. The simulated land carbon sink is 2.01.0PgCyrg'1 from 2000 to 2009, in close agreement with estimates from the IPCC and Global Carbon Project.The authors acknowledge support from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Joint Weather and Climate Research Programme through grant numbers NE/K016016/1 (Anna B. Harper) and NEC05816 (Lina M. Mercado). NERC support was also provided to Lina M. Mercado through the UK Earth System Modelling project (UKESM, grant NE/N017951/1). Anna B. Harper also acknowledges support from her EPSRC Fellowship (EP/N030141/1) and the EU H2020 project CRESCENDO (GA641816). The EU project FP7 LUC4C (GA603542) provided support for Stephen Sitch and Pierre Friedlingstein. The Met Office authors were supported by the Joint UK BEIS/Defra Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme (GA01101)

Weak charge form factor and radius of 208Pb through parity violation in electron scattering

We use distorted wave electron scattering calculations to extract the weak charge form factor F_W(q), the weak charge radius R_W, and the point neutron radius R_n, of 208Pb from the PREX parity violating asymmetry measurement. The form factor is the Fourier transform of the weak charge density at the average momentum transfer q=0.475 fm$^{-1}$. We find F_W(q) =0.204 \pm 0.028 (exp) \pm 0.001 (model). We use the Helm model to infer the weak radius from F_W(q). We find R_W= 5.826 \pm 0.181 (exp) \pm 0.027 (model) fm. Here the exp error includes PREX statistical and systematic errors, while the model error describes the uncertainty in R_W from uncertainties in the surface thickness \sigma of the weak charge density. The weak radius is larger than the charge radius, implying a "weak charge skin" where the surface region is relatively enriched in weak charges compared to (electromagnetic) charges. We extract the point neutron radius R_n=5.751 \pm 0.175 (exp) \pm 0.026 (model) \pm 0.005 (strange) fm$, from R_W. Here there is only a very small error (strange) from possible strange quark contributions. We find R_n to be slightly smaller than R_W because of the nucleon's size. Finally, we find a neutron skin thickness of R_n-R_p=0.302\pm 0.175 (exp) \pm 0.026 (model) \pm 0.005 (strange) fm, where R_p is the point proton radius.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, published in Phys Rev. C. Only one change in this version: we have added one author, also to metadat

Identification of a Novel Invasion-Promoting Region in Insulin Receptor Substrate 2

Although the insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins IRS1 and IRS2 share considerable homology and activate common signaling pathways, their contributions to breast cancer are distinct. IRS1 has been implicated in the proliferation and survival of breast tumor cells. In contrast, IRS2 facilitates glycolysis, invasion, and metastasis. To determine the mechanistic basis for IRS2-dependent functions, we investigated unique structural features of IRS2 that are required for invasion. Our studies revealed that the ability of IRS2 to promote invasion is dependent upon upstream insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R)/insulin receptor (IR) activation and the recruitment and activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), functions shared with IRS1. In addition, a 174-amino-acid region in the IRS2 C-terminal tail, which is not conserved in IRS1, is also required for IRS2-mediated invasion. Importantly, this invasion (INV) region is sufficient to confer invasion-promoting ability when swapped into IRS1. However, the INV region is not required for the IRS2-dependent regulation of glucose uptake. Bone morphogenetic protein 2-inducible kinase (BMP2K) binds to the INV region and contributes to IRS2-dependent invasion. Taken together, our data advance the mechanistic understanding of how IRS2 regulates invasion and reveal that IRS2 functions important for cancer can be independently targeted without interfering with the metabolic activities of this adaptor protein

Technical note: A simple theoretical model framework to describe plant stomatal “sluggishness” in response to elevated ozone concentrations

Elevated levels of tropospheric ozone, O3, cause damage to terrestrial vegetation, affecting leaf stomatal functioning and reducing photosynthesis. Climatic impacts under future raised atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations will also impact on the net primary productivity (NPP) of vegetation, which might for instance alter viability of some crops. Together, ozone damage and climate change may adjust the current ability of terrestrial vegetation to offset a significant fraction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Climate impacts on the land surface are well studied, but arguably large-scale modelling of raised surface level O3 effects is less advanced. To date most models representing ozone damage use either O3 concentration or, more recently, flux-uptake-related reduction of stomatal opening, estimating suppressed land–atmosphere water and CO2 fluxes. However there is evidence that, for some species, O3 damage can also cause an inertial “sluggishness” of stomatal response to changing surface meteorological conditions. In some circumstances (e.g. droughts), this loss of stomata control can cause them to be more open than without ozone interference. To both aid model development and provide empiricists with a system on to which measurements can be mapped, we present a parameter-sparse framework specifically designed to capture sluggishness. This contains a single time-delay parameter τO3, characterizing the timescale for stomata to catch up with the level of opening they would have without damage. The larger the value of this parameter, the more sluggish the modelled stomatal response. Through variation of τO3, we find it is possible to have qualitatively similar responses to factorial experiments with and without raised O3, when comparing to reported measurement time series presented in the literature. This low-parameter approach lends itself to the inclusion of ozone-induced inertial effects being incorporated in the terrestrial vegetation component of Earth system models (ESMs)