Biologisk recipientkontroll för Ringhals kärnkraftverk : årsrapport för 2022

Ringhals kärnkraftverk är en av Sveriges största elproducenter. På grund av intag och utsläpp av havsvatten som kyler processen i kraftverket sker en påverkan på den omgivande kustvattenmiljön. Denna påverkan övervakas och analyseras i det biologiska recipientkontrollprogrammet. Föreliggande årsrapport presenterar resultat av undersökningarna inom kontrollprogrammet för 2022. Fokus i årsrapporten ligger på samhället av fisk och skaldjur, förluster av ägg, larver och yngel i kylvattenvägarna samt förekomsten av främmande arter. I kylvattenintaget utförs under våren två olika årliga provtagningar för att övervaka förlusterna av olika fiskstadier i kraftverket: En provtagning av fiskägg och fisklarver med en Bongohåv, och en provtagning av yngel och juvenil fisk med en modifierad Isaac-Kidd-trål. I ägg- och larvprovtagningen 2022 var de vanligaste förekommande fiskäggen från torsk och de vanligaste fisklarverna från skrubbskädda och tobis (kust-/havs-). Provtagningen i kylvattenintaget efter juvenil fisk och yngel är till stor del fokuserad på fångsterna av glasål (Anguilla anguilla). Fångsterna med Isaac-Kidd-trålen 2022 dominerades av sillyngel följt av klarbult, tobisyngel och glasål. Effekten av utgående uppvärmt kylvatten undersöks genom årliga provfisken på tre lokaler: recipientområdet vid Ringhals, som påverkas av kylvattnet, referensområdet vid Vendelsö, som är opåverkat av kylvatten, och området vid Norra Horta, som är delvis påverkat av kylvattnet. Provfisket genomförs två gånger per år, under april och augusti. För 2022 var skärsnultra generellt den vanligaste fiskarten vid provfisket, förutom under april i referensområdet där stensnultra var vanligast. Generellt var förekomsten av varmvattengynnade arter högre i recipientområdet och förekomsten av kallvattengynnade arter högre i referensområdet. Totalfångsten av strandkrabba var hög i samtliga lokaler och fiskeperioder, med kulmen i recipientområdet i augusti. Området kring renshusledningens utlopp undersöktes med ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) för att visuellt inspektera påverkan på botten. Utsläpp och sedimentation av skaldelar från musslor och krabbor har även i år minskat till följd av relativt lågt kylvattenflöde. För att undersöka eventuell förekomst av invasiva främmande arter genomfördes en dykkartering i fem områden utanför kraftverkets kylvattenutsläpp. Sammantaget för de fem områdena observerades det sex invasiva främmande arter av alger (rödsvansing, japantofs, japanplym, agaralg, japansk sargassotång, och grönalgen klykalg) samt en främmande djurart (stillahavsostron). Utöver dykkarteringen så hittades även blåskrabba under provfisket i april. Samtliga främmande arter är kända på svenska västkusten sedan tidigare

SARS-CoV-2 Receptor ACE2 Is an Interferon-Stimulated Gene in Human Airway Epithelial Cells and Is Detected in Specific Cell Subsets across Tissues.

There is pressing urgency to understand the pathogenesis of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus clade 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the disease COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein binds angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), and in concert with host proteases, principally transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), promotes cellular entry. The cell subsets targeted by SARS-CoV-2 in host tissues and the factors that regulate ACE2 expression remain unknown. Here, we leverage human, non-human primate, and mouse single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets across health and disease to uncover putative targets of SARS-CoV-2 among tissue-resident cell subsets. We identify ACE2 and TMPRSS2 co-expressing cells within lung type II pneumocytes, ileal absorptive enterocytes, and nasal goblet secretory cells. Strikingly, we discovered that ACE2 is a human interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) in vitro using airway epithelial cells and extend our findings to in vivo viral infections. Our data suggest that SARS-CoV-2 could exploit species-specific interferon-driven upregulation of ACE2, a tissue-protective mediator during lung injury, to enhance infection

Genetic architecture of subcortical brain structures in 38,851 individuals

Subcortical brain structures are integral to motion, consciousness, emotions and learning. We identified common genetic variation related to the volumes of the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, brainstem, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen and thalamus, using genome-wide association analyses in almost 40,000 individuals from CHARGE, ENIGMA and UK Biobank. We show that variability in subcortical volumes is heritable, and identify 48 significantly associated loci (40 novel at the time of analysis). Annotation of these loci by utilizing gene expression, methylation and neuropathological data identified 199 genes putatively implicated in neurodevelopment, synaptic signaling, axonal transport, apoptosis, inflammation/infection and susceptibility to neurological disorders. This set of genes is significantly enriched for Drosophila orthologs associated with neurodevelopmental phenotypes, suggesting evolutionarily conserved mechanisms. Our findings uncover novel biology and potential drug targets underlying brain development and disease

Atrial fibrillation genetic risk differentiates cardioembolic stroke from other stroke subtypes

AbstractObjectiveWe sought to assess whether genetic risk factors for atrial fibrillation can explain cardioembolic stroke risk.MethodsWe evaluated genetic correlations between a prior genetic study of AF and AF in the presence of cardioembolic stroke using genome-wide genotypes from the Stroke Genetics Network (N = 3,190 AF cases, 3,000 cardioembolic stroke cases, and 28,026 referents). We tested whether a previously-validated AF polygenic risk score (PRS) associated with cardioembolic and other stroke subtypes after accounting for AF clinical risk factors.ResultsWe observed strong correlation between previously reported genetic risk for AF, AF in the presence of stroke, and cardioembolic stroke (Pearson’s r=0.77 and 0.76, respectively, across SNPs with p &lt; 4.4 × 10−4 in the prior AF meta-analysis). An AF PRS, adjusted for clinical AF risk factors, was associated with cardioembolic stroke (odds ratio (OR) per standard deviation (sd) = 1.40, p = 1.45×10−48), explaining ∼20% of the heritable component of cardioembolic stroke risk. The AF PRS was also associated with stroke of undetermined cause (OR per sd = 1.07, p = 0.004), but no other primary stroke subtypes (all p &gt; 0.1).ConclusionsGenetic risk for AF is associated with cardioembolic stroke, independent of clinical risk factors. Studies are warranted to determine whether AF genetic risk can serve as a biomarker for strokes caused by AF.</jats:sec

Methyl methacrylate and respiratory sensitization: A Critical review

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) is a respiratory irritant and dermal sensitizer that has been associated with occupational asthma in a small number of case reports. Those reports have raised concern that it might be a respiratory sensitizer. To better understand that possibility, we reviewed the in silico, in chemico, in vitro, and in vivo toxicology literature, and also epidemiologic and occupational medicine reports related to the respiratory effects of MMA. Numerous in silico and in chemico studies indicate that MMA is unlikely to be a respiratory sensitizer. The few in vitro studies suggest that MMA has generally weak effects. In vivo studies have documented contact skin sensitization, nonspecific cytotoxicity, and weakly positive responses on local lymph node assay; guinea pig and mouse inhalation sensitization tests have not been performed. Cohort and cross-sectional worker studies reported irritation of eyes, nose, and upper respiratory tract associated with short-term peaks exposures, but little evidence for respiratory sensitization or asthma. Nineteen case reports described asthma, laryngitis, or hypersensitivity pneumonitis in MMA-exposed workers; however, exposures were either not well described or involved mixtures containing more reactive respiratory sensitizers and irritants.The weight of evidence, both experimental and observational, argues that MMA is not a respiratory sensitizer

Testing the Fill-and-Spill Model ofSubsurface Lateral Flow Using GroundPenetrating Radar and Dye Tracing

Preferential flow (PF), which bypasses large portions of the soil or subsurface matrix, is critical in the transport of water and dissolved constituents in the unsaturated zone. To test the &ldquo;fill-and-spill&rdquo; model of hillslope hydrology that describes the generation and pattern of downslope lateral PF after storms, we used dye tracer and time-lapse, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) on a forested hillslope in the Susquehanna&ndash;Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory. We injected 50 L of water mixed with Brilliant Blue dye (4 g L⁻&sup1;) into a shallow trench cut perpendicular to the slope and used GPR to monitor the tracer downslope across a 1.0- by 2.0-m grid. The site was then excavated to the soil&ndash;saprock interface and photographed to document the dye pathways. We observed vertical dye fingering near the infiltration trench. Downslope lateral PF at the soil&ndash;saprock boundary was limited to ~0.40 m, which is evidence that the soil&ndash;saprock interface did not fill-and-spill. The extent, depth, and direction of the downslope PF indicated by GPR generally matched the dye staining patterns in the excavation, but the resolution of the 800-MHz GPR antenna was insufficient to distinguish small fingers of dye. A revised filland- spill model was proposed for this site that incorporates the PF through fractured saprock before water encounters fresh bedrock surface. This study demonstrates that GPR integrated with dye tracer infiltration can provide a useful means of testing hillslope hydrological hypotheses and unraveling the complexity of PF at the hillslope scale in a field setting

A Positioning and Data Logging System for Surface Geophysical Surveys

The Ultrasonic Ranging and Data System (USRADS) developed at ORNL is being adapted to work with two commercially available geophysical instruments: a magnetometer and an EM31 terrain conductivity meter. Geophysical surveys have proven an important preliminary step in investigating hazardous waste sites. Magnetometers and terrain conductivity meters are used to locate buried drums, trenches, conductive contaminant plumes and map regional changes in geology. About half the field time of a typical geophysical investigation is spent surveying the position of the grid points at which the measurements will be made. Additional time is lost and errors may be made recording instrument values in field notebooks and transcribing the data to a computer. Developed for gamma radiation surveys, the USRAD system keeps track of the surveyor's position automatically by triangulating on an ultrasonic transmitter carried in a backpack. The backpack also contains a radio transmitter that sends the instrument's reading coincident with the ultrasonic pulse. The surveyor's position and the instrument's reading are recorded by a portable computer which can plot the data to check the survey's progress. Electronic files are stored in a form compatible with AutoCAD to speed report writing. 7 refs., 3 figs

Imaging Bioturbation in Supratidal Carbonates: Non-Invasive Field Techniques Enhance Neoichnological and Zoogeomorphological Research, San Salvador, The Bahamas

A case study in unconsolidated carbonates on San Salvador Island, The Bahamas, utilized high-frequency (800 MHz) georadar imaging to augment existing methodologies (burrow counts and measurements, casting) in brachyuran bioturbation research (Ocypode quadrata and Gecarcinus lateralis), and as part of a new dataset characterizing blue land crab (Cardisoma guanhumi) burrows. Non-invasive techniques such as ground-penetrating radar (GPR) can complement traditional field surveys aimed at quantifying mesoscale bioturbation in modern settings. These methods can establish diagnostic features for tracemaker identification and refine existing ichnofacies models. Drone-mounted aerial coverage provided the first high-resolution images of the micro-topography and large burrow openings of Cardisoma in supratidal muddy sands. Measurements of 20 burrows (minimum length, entrance diameter, and spoil mound size) were complemented by endoscopic camera observations (burrow fill, large bioglyphs, and occupants). Extensive 2D transects and quasi-3D georadar grids not only reveal characteristic subsurface interfaces (open vs. filled burrow, water table, saltwater), but also serve as an archive of bulk in situ sedimentary characteristics of the bioturbated substrate. Signal resolution in dry carbonate sand (~ 4 cm) was sufficient to differentiate and measure known burrow structures. Our study demonstrates that co-located and georeferenced aerial, geophysical, and ground-based databases will allow rapid and effective assessment of the spatial distribution and gross geometry of comparable biogenic structures in a variety of environments and substrates