Variability of CO2, CH4, and O2 concentration in the vicinity of a closed mining shaft in the light of extreme weather events—numerical simulations

This is the final version. Available from MDPI via the DOI in this record. Data Availability Statement: Data are contained within the article.With climate change, more intense weather phenomena can be expected, including pressure drops related to the arrival of an atmospheric front. Such drops of pressure are the main reason for gas emissions from closed mines to the surface, and a closed, empty mine shaft is the most likely route of this emission. Among the gases emitted, the most important are carbon dioxide and methane, creating a twofold problem—greenhouse gas emissions and gas hazards. The work presented in this paper simulated the spread of the mentioned gases near such an abandoned shaft for four variants: model validation, the most dangerous situations found during measurements with or without wind, and a forecast variant for a possible future pressure drop. It was found that a momentary CO2 emission of 0.69 m3/s and a momentary CH4 emission of 0.29 m3/s are possible, which for one hour of the appropriate drop would give hypothetically 2484 m3 CO2 and 1044 m3 CH4. In terms of gas hazards, the area that should be monitored and protected may exceed 25 m from a closed shaft in the absence of wind influence. The wind spreads the emitted gases to distances exceeding 50 m but dilutes them significantly.Research Fund for Coal and Steel

From Arabidopsis to Crops: The Arabidopsis QQS Orphan Gene Modulates Nitrogen Allocation Across Species

To improve the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of crops to increase yields, one approach is to develop crops with improved NUE. Qua Quine Starch (QQS), a species-specific orphan gene present only in Arabidopsis thaliana, has a novel, unexpected functionality. Approximately 0.5- 8% of genes in a given species are uniquely present in that species, having no homologs in other species. They represent a significant fraction of eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes, and are thought to be a determinant of the character of a species. However, little is known about the functional significance of these so-called species-specific or orphan genes. QQS can affect the extremely important trait of protein content when expressed in other species, in soybean, maize and rice. Understanding QQS functions has multiple impacts, revealing how plants partition precious carbon and nitrogen resources. Here, we report QQS interactor nuclear factor Y subunit C4 (NF-YC4), affects carbon and nitrogen allocation to protein in soybean and maize. QQS and its related network may be used as a tool to increase the protein content in crops, and to study the 2 nitrogen allocation network. RNA-Sequencing analyses of the QQS mutant materials have identified candidate genes involved in regulation of nitrogen allocation.This is a manuscript of a chapter published as O’Conner S. et al. (2018) From Arabidopsis to Crops: The Arabidopsis QQS Orphan Gene Modulates Nitrogen Allocation Across Species. In: Shrawat A., Zayed A., Lightfoot D. (eds) Engineering Nitrogen Utilization in Crop Plants. Springer, Cham. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-92958-3_6. Posted with permission.</p

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: Protein Glycosylation and Production of Biopharmaceuticals

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