Bomb-¹⁴C analysis of ecosystem respiration reveals that peatland vegetation facilitates release of old carbon

The largest terrestrial-to-atmosphere carbon flux is respired CO<sub>2</sub>. However, the partitioning of soil and plant sources, understanding of contributory mechanisms, and their response to climate change are uncertain. A plant removal experiment was established within a peatland located in the UK uplands to quantify respiration derived from recently fixed plant carbon and that derived from decomposition of soil organic matter, using natural abundance <sup>13</sup>C and bomb-<sup>14</sup>C as tracers. Soil and plant respiration sources were found respectively to contribute ~ 36% and between 41-54% of the total ecosystem CO<sub>2</sub> flux. Respired CO<sub>2</sub> produced in the clipped (‘soil’) plots had a mean age of ~ 15 years since fixation from the atmosphere, whereas the <sup>14</sup>C content of ecosystem CO<sub>2</sub> was statistically indistinguishable from the contemporary atmosphere. Results of carbon mass balance modelling showed that, in addition to respiration from bulk soil and plant respired CO<sub>2</sub>, a third, much older source of CO<sub>2</sub> existed. This source, which we suggest is CO<sub>2</sub> derived from the catotelm constituted between ~ 10 and 23% of total ecosystem respiration and had a mean radiocarbon age of between several hundred to ~ 2000 years before present (BP). These findings show that plant-mediated transport of CO<sub>2</sub> produced in the catotelm may form a considerable component of peatland ecosystem respiration. The implication of this discovery is that current assumptions in terrestrial carbon models need to be re-evaluated to consider the climate sensitivity of this third source of peatland CO<sub>2</sub>

Comparison between May-Gr\ufcnwald-Giemsa and rapid cytological stains in fine-needle aspirates of canine mast cell tumour: Diagnostic and prognostic implications

Mast cell tumours (MCTs) are often diagnosed by cytology based on the identification of purple intracytoplasmic granules with methanolic Romanowsky stains, including May-Gr\ufcnwald-Giemsa (MGG). In clinical practice, aqueous rapid stains (RS) are commonly used, but mast cell granules may not stain properly. Aim of this prospective study was to investigate the frequency of MCT hypogranularity with RS and its potential implications in tumour identification, cytological grading assessment and recognition of nodal metastatic disease. Cytological preparations of canine primary MCTs and metastatic lymph nodes with subsequent histopathological confirmation were included. For each case, good-quality smears were stained with both MGG and RS and comparatively assessed. Eleven of 60 (18.3%) primary MCTs were hypogranular with RS; 9 of them were histologically high-grade tumours and in 3 cases (5%) a definitive MCT diagnosis could not be made. Accuracy in cytological grading assessment (85%) did not differ between RS and MGG. Thirteen of 28 (46.4%) metastatic lymph nodes were hypogranular with RS and 3 independent observers failed to identify nodal MCT metastases in 7% to 18% of RS-stained smears. This study confirms that, in limited cases, RS can be ineffective in staining MCT granules, particularly in high-grade tumours, thus making diagnosis more dependent on experience and quality of preparations. In dubious cases, methanolic stains should be applied. The use of RS is discouraged for the search of nodal metastases, as the identification of isolated mast cells can be more challenging

The narcissistic mask: An exploration of \u27the defensive grandiosity hypothesis\u27

Narcissism has been conceptualized as involving attempts to defend against negative self-schemata (implicit negative beliefs about one\u27s own self-worth). This idea has been termed the \u27mask model of narcissism\u27. This study explores the mask model, examining the association between extreme narcissistic personality traits and performance on a task purported to assess the influence of negative self-schemata. Participants (n=232) from the UK and the UAE completed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and also performed an incidental learning task involving the surprise recall of self-referential adjectives (traits). A greater recall of negative adjectives was viewed as indicative of negative self-schemata. Looking at the sample as a whole, there were no associations between narcissistic traits and negative adjective recall. However, amongst those scoring in the upper quartile of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, narcissism scores were positively correlated with the recall of negative adjectives even after controlling for age and memory. Narcissism may reflect self-enhancement strategies rooted in negative self-beliefs. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Climate and southern Africa's water-energy-food nexus

In southern Africa, the connections between climate and the water-energy-food nexus are strong. Physical and socioeconomic exposure to climate is high in many areas and in crucial economic sectors. Spatial interdependence is also high, driven for example, by the regional extent of many climate anomalies and river basins and aquifers that span national boundaries. There is now strong evidence of the effects of individual climate anomalies, but associations between national rainfall and Gross Domestic Product and crop production remain relatively weak. The majority of climate models project decreases in annual precipitation for southern Africa, typically by as much as 20% by the 2080s. Impact models suggest these changes would propagate into reduced water availability and crop yields. Recognition of spatial and sectoral interdependencies should inform policies, institutions and investments for enhancing water, energy and food security. Three key political and economic instruments could be strengthened for this purpose; the Southern African Development Community, the Southern African Power Pool, and trade of agricultural products amounting to significant transfers of embedded water

Randomized comparison of cold blood and cold crystalloid renal perfusion for renal protection during thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair

ObjectiveMore effective adjuncts are needed to reduce the incidence of acute renal injury after thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair. The purpose of this randomized trial was to determine whether renal perfusion with cold blood provides better protection against renal ischemia than perfusion with cold crystalloid in patients undergoing TAAA repair with left heart bypass.MethodsOne hundred seventy-two patients were enrolled. Strict inclusion criteria were used, including planned Crawford extent II or III TAAA repair with left heart bypass. The patients were randomly assigned to receive intermittent renal perfusion with either 4°C lactated Ringer's solution (n = 86) or 4°C blood (n = 86). Renal complications within 10 days of operation were stratified by renal dysfunction score (RDS). Postoperative changes in the levels of five urinary biomarkers—retinol binding protein, α-1 microglobulin, microalbumin, N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase, and intestinal alkaline phosphatase—were compared to assess potential differences in subclinical renal injury.ResultsAlthough total ischemic times were longer in the cold blood group, unprotected ischemic times were similar between the two groups. Twenty-seven patients in the cold blood group (31%) and 21 patients in the cold crystalloid group (24%) had peak RDS ≥2 (serum creatinine >50% above baseline; P = .4). There were no differences between the cold blood and cold crystalloid groups in the incidence of early death (7/86 [8%] vs 5/86 [6%], respectively; P = .8) or renal failure requiring hemodialysis (3/86 [3%] in both groups). Changes in renal biomarker levels were also similar in the two groups. Spinal cord deficits developed in 5 patients in the cold blood group (6%); there were no such deficits in the cold crystalloid group (P = .06).ConclusionCold renal perfusion during TAAA repair provides effective protection against renal injury. Using cold blood instead of cold crystalloid does not enhance renal protection

Circulating and gut-resident human Th17 cells express CD161 and promote intestinal inflammation

The C-type lectin-like receptor CD161, which has recently been described to promote T cell expansion, is expressed on a discrete subset of human CD4 T cells. The function of such cells, however, has remained elusive. We now demonstrate that CD161+ CD4 T cells comprise a circulating and gut-resident T helper 17 (Th17) cell population. During Crohn's disease (CD), these CD161+ cells display an activated Th17 phenotype, as indicated by increased expression of interleukin (IL)-17, IL-22, and IL-23 receptor. CD161+ CD4 T cells from CD patients readily produce IL-17 and interferon γ upon stimulation with IL-23, whereas, in healthy subjects, priming by additional inflammatory stimuli such as IL-1β was required to enable IL-23–induced cytokine release. Circulating CD161+ Th17 cells are imprinted for gut homing, as indicated by high levels of CC chemokine receptor 6 and integrin β7 expression. Supporting their colitogenic phenotype, CD161+ Th17 cells were found in increased numbers in the inflammatory infiltrate of CD lesions and induced expression of inflammatory mediators by intestinal cells. Our data identify CD161+ CD4 T cells as a resting Th17 pool that can be activated by IL-23 and mediate destructive tissue inflammation

Salinity induces carbohydrate accumulation and sugar-regulated starch biosynthetic genes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. ‘Micro-Tom’) fruits in an ABA- and osmotic stress-independent manner

Salinity stress enhances sugar accumulation in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruits. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, the transport of carbohydrates into tomato fruits and the regulation of starch synthesis during fruit development in tomato plants cv. ‘Micro-Tom’ exposed to high levels of salinity stress were examined. Growth with 160 mM NaCl doubled starch accumulation in tomato fruits compared to control plants during the early stages of development, and soluble sugars increased as the fruit matured. Tracer analysis with 13C confirmed that elevated carbohydrate accumulation in fruits exposed to salinity stress was confined to the early development stages and did not occur after ripening. Salinity stress also up-regulated sucrose transporter expression in source leaves and increased activity of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) in fruits during the early development stages. The results indicate that salinity stress enhanced carbohydrate accumulation as starch during the early development stages and it is responsible for the increase in soluble sugars in ripe fruit. Quantitative RT-PCR analyses of salinity-stressed plants showed that the AGPase-encoding genes, AgpL1 and AgpS1 were up-regulated in developing fruits, and AgpL1 was obviously up-regulated by sugar at the transcriptional level but not by abscisic acid and osmotic stress. These results indicate AgpL1 and AgpS1 are involved in the promotion of starch biosynthesis under the salinity stress in ABA- and osmotic stress-independent manners. These two genes are differentially regulated at the transcriptional level, and AgpL1 is suggested to play a regulatory role in this event

One transition, many transitions? A corpus-based study of societal sustainability transition discourses in four civil society’s proposals

When the civil society makes ‘transition’ its label, it cannot be assumed that different civil society actors share compatible varieties of localist or radical transformationists discourses. This study has comparatively analyzed the discourses in four civil society sustainability transition proposals using a corpus-based methodology. We found that the proposals are similar as they identify the economy as an object and an entry point for transition, frame the economy as embedded in the socio–ecological system, ascribe agency to grassroots movements for transitions from the bottom–up. We also found crucial differences among the discourses regarding the role of the State, the degree of reform or radical innovation, the degree of imaginative character of the sustainability vision, the degree of opposition to capitalism. We suggest that insights on how the civil society employs notions of transition with respect to the themes of politics, emotions and place can help advance theorizations and practices of societal sustainability transitions led by the civil society