An exploration into the origins and pathogenesis of anaplastic large cell lymphoma, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive

T cell Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a heterogeneous disease ranging from malignancies arising from thymic T cells halted in development, through to mature, circulating peripheral T cells. The latter cases are diagnostically problematic with many entering the category of peripheral T cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL, NOS). Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma is one of the exceptions to this whereby aberrant expression of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase and distinctive presence of cell surface CD30 places this entity in its own class. Besides expression of a well-studied oncogenic translocation, ALCL, ALK+ may also have a unique pathogenesis with a thymic origin like T lymphoblastic lymphoma but a peripheral presentation akin to PTCL. This review discusses evidence towards the potential origin of ALCL, ALK+ and mechanisms that may give rise to its unique phenotype

The Role of Activator Protein-1 (AP-1) Family Members in CD30-Positive Lymphomas

The Activator Protein-1 (AP-1) transcription factor (TF) family, composed of a variety of members including c-JUN, c-FOS and ATF, is involved in mediating many biological processes such as proliferation, differentiation and cell death. Since their discovery, the role of AP-1 TFs in cancer development has been extensively analyzed. Multiple in vitro and in vivo studies have highlighted the complexity of these TFs, mainly due to their cell-type specific homo- or hetero-dimerization resulting in diverse transcriptional response profiles. However, as a result of the increasing knowledge of the role of AP-1 TFs in disease, these TFs are being recognized as promising therapeutic targets for various malignancies. In this review, we focus on the impact of deregulated expression of AP-1 TFs in CD30-positive lymphomas including Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma and Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma

Mercury pollution in the lake sediments and catchment soils of anthropogenically-disturbed sites across England

Sediment cores and soil samples were taken from nine lakes and their catchments across England with varying degrees of direct human disturbance. Mercury (Hg) analysis demonstrated a range of impacts, many from local sources, resulting from differing historical and contemporary site usage and management. Lakes located in industrially important areas showed clear evidence for early Hg pollution with concentrations in sediments reaching 400–1600 ng g−1 prior to the mid-19th century. Control of inputs resulting from local management practices and a greater than 90% reduction in UK Hg emissions since 1970 were reflected by reduced Hg pollution in some lakes. However, having been a sink for Hg deposition for centuries, polluted catchment soils are now the major Hg source for most lakes and consequently recovery from reduced Hg deposition is being delayed

Palaeolimnological assessment of trace element inputs to lakes in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta, Canada

Undisturbed lake sediment records provide a robust natural archive of conditions within waterbodies. They have been used successfully over a number of decades to determine temporal trends of surface water acidification and to follow the effects of eutrophication. However, lake sediments also provide an archive of changes occurring within lake catchments and of atmospheric pollutants deposited onto lake and catchment surfaces. In August 2006, parallel lake sediment cores were collected from 22 lakes in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region of Alberta by UCL staff as part of the RAMP regional lakes survey. Twelve of these lakes were selected for study covering a range of locations from around the Fort McMurray area to sites in the Caribou Mountains and the Canadian Shield. The main aim of this initial study was to assess the evidence for lake acidification in the region, but analysis also revealed changes in nutrient input and, at one site, mercury (Hg) analysis showed an indication of industrial contamination. This work was reported in Curtis et al. (2010). The analysis undertaken in this initial project was focussed on single radiometrically dated sediment cores (hereafter the ‘A’ cores) from each of the 12 selected lakes. The parallel cores from each lake (the ‘B’ cores) were stored dark, at 4ºC, following their transfer to UCL and hence were available for further analysis. Both sediment cores (A and B) from the remaining 10 lakes remain unstudied. The aim of this current project was to use the stored ‘B’ sediment cores to assess temporal trends and rates of change in trace element input to a subset of the lakes cored in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region of Alberta and compare these with the sediment records of two reference lakes in the Caribou Mountains. This interim report contains details of progress on this work up to end March 2012 and a summary of remaining work under this contract. As a consequence this report focusses on data collected so far. Only limited interpretation is provided and will be undertaken fully when the dataset is complete. A final report will be produced upon completion of the study

Degradation of a quantum directional reference frame as a random walk

We investigate if the degradation of a quantum directional reference frame through repeated use can be modeled as a classical direction undergoing a random walk on a sphere. We demonstrate that the behaviour of the fidelity for a degrading quantum directional reference frame, defined as the average probability of correctly determining the orientation of a test system, can be fit precisely using such a model. Physically, the mechanism for the random walk is the uncontrollable back-action on the reference frame due to its use in a measurement of the direction of another system. However, we find that the magnitude of the step size of this random walk is not given by our classical model and must be determined from the full quantum description.Comment: 5 pages, no figures. Comments are welcome. v2: several changes to clarify the key results. v3: journal reference added, acknowledgements and references update

The chronostratigraphy of the Anthropocene in southern Africa: Current status and potential

The process for the formal ratification of the proposed Anthropocene Epoch involves the identification of a globally isochronous stratigraphic signal to mark its starting point. The search for a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP), a unique reference sequence that would be used to fix the start of the epoch, is in progress but none of the candidate sections are located in Africa. We assessed the currently available stratigraphic evidence for the possible markers of the Anthropocene in southern Africa and found that, although most markers have been identified in the region, the robustly dated, high resolution records required for the GSSP are very sparse. We then assessed the extent and stratigraphic resolution of a range of potential natural archives and conclude that a small number of permanent lakes, as well as marine sediments, corals and peats from selected locations in southern Africa could provide the temporal resolution required. With sufficient chronological control and multi-proxy analyses, one of these archives could provide a useful auxiliary stratotype thereby helping to confirm the global reach, and extending the utility, of the selected Anthropocene GSSP

Floating water plantain Luronium natans (L) Raf.: Current distribution and status in Llyn Padarn and Llyn Cwellyn, Wales

Luronium natans is native to the UK and is protected by UK and European law under Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive, Appendix I of the Bern Convention, Schedule 4 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations 1994, and Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. It is also listed as UK priority BAP species and the current distribution is restricted to less than 100 hectads in the UK and it should therefore be classed as nationally scarce (Lockon 2014). The main stronghold for the species is in the oligotrophic lakes of central Wales and Cumbria, as well as some canals in Wales and Shropshire (Preston et al. 2002). Due to its deep-water habit, L. natans is easily overlooked and although this may have resulted in it being under-recorded in some locations, there is also evidence of it having been lost from some lowland sites in recent years (Preston & Croft 1997). In Llyn Padarn, Luronium natans was first recorded in 1848 (Kay et al. 1999), and more recently is known to have been relatively common with records from at least 4 distinct locations reported by Andy Jones in 1997 (CCW Species & Monitoring Report No. 98/02/11 - Luronium natans (floating water-plantain) at Llyn Padarn SSSI) ( Figure 1). Survey data since 1997 are less complete. The aquatic flora was surveyed using Common Standard Monitoring methodology (JNCC 2005) for WFD assessment (Goldsmith et al. 2005, 2010, 2013), but this method does not necessitate whole-site assessment and L. natans was only recorded in one survey section at the south east end of the lake (an extensive bed from 0.8 – 2.4 m water depth). The other survey sections did not coincide with earlier L. natans records and therefore the extent of the species within the lake since 1997 has not been verified

Quality control in public participation assessments of water quality: the OPAL Water Survey

BACKGROUND: Public participation in scientific data collection is a rapidly expanding field. In water quality surveys, the involvement of the public, usually as trained volunteers, generally includes the identification of aquatic invertebrates to a broad taxonomic level. However, quality assurance is often not addressed and remains a key concern for the acceptance of publicly-generated water quality data. The Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) Water Survey, launched in May 2010, aimed to encourage interest and participation in water science by developing a 'low-barrier-to-entry' water quality survey. During 2010, over 3000 participant-selected lakes and ponds were surveyed making this the largest public participation lake and pond survey undertaken to date in the UK. But the OPAL approach of using untrained volunteers and largely anonymous data submission exacerbates quality control concerns. A number of approaches were used in order to address data quality issues including: sensitivity analysis to determine differences due to operator, sampling effort and duration; direct comparisons of identification between participants and experienced scientists; the use of a self-assessment identification quiz; the use of multiple participant surveys to assess data variability at single sites over short periods of time; comparison of survey techniques with other measurement variables and with other metrics generally considered more accurate. These quality control approaches were then used to screen the OPAL Water Survey data to generate a more robust dataset. RESULTS: The OPAL Water Survey results provide a regional and national assessment of water quality as well as a first national picture of water clarity (as suspended solids concentrations). Less than 10 % of lakes and ponds surveyed were ‘poor’ quality while 26.8 % were in the highest water quality band. CONCLUSIONS: It is likely that there will always be a question mark over untrained volunteer generated data simply because quality assurance is uncertain, regardless of any post hoc data analyses. Quality control at all stages, from survey design, identification tests, data submission and interpretation can all increase confidence such that useful data can be generated by public participants

First evidence of industrial fly-ash in an Antarctic ice core

Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) are a component of fly-ash, the particulate by-product of industrial high temperature combustion of fuel-oil and coal-series fuels. We provide the first evidence that these indelible markers of industrialisation have been deposited in Antarctic ice, thousands of kilometres from any potential source. The earliest observed particle was deposited in an ice layer from 1936 CE. While depositional fluxes are low, chemical analysis of individual SCPs indicates a coal combustion origin

Analysis of sediment, fish and phytoplankton samples from Indawgyi Lake, Myanmar

Fauna and Flora International are coordinating a management plan for Indawgyi Lake (under consideration as a Ramsar and UNESCO World Heritage Site) in Myanmar. Part of this process will be to set-up monitoring protocols for the inflow/outflow streams and the lake. Potential impacts on the lake include artisanal gold mining in the in-flow streams, farming around the lake (mostly rice) and some waste inputs from villages. There are further concerns related to the introduction of invasive fish (Oreochromis niloticus – Nile tilapia) and plant (Eichhornia sp. ‘water hyacinth’) species. In 2015 the following samples were collected following advice from ENSIS: i) water samples to measure phosphate, nitrates and sulphates (and other N, P, and S species that may be appropriate)*; ii) river and lake sediments and biological material (fish biopsy from whole small fish or tissue from larger fish) to measure heavy metal concentrations (with key elements being mercury, arsenic, lead and copper). Fish samples were preserved in 100% ethanol. Samples were taken of sediment (in triplicate) from about 15 locations from tributary rivers and from the lake periphery (45 samples in total); iii) water column samples from Indawgyi Lake (10 cm below the surface) to measure algae abundance and algal species composition. Samples were preserved in Lugol's iodine, initially from 1 l of water but siphoned to about 150 ml final volume